Departures, a wonderful movie—a delightful journey into the heartland of Japan and a profound and sometimes comical journey as a man uncovers the wonder, joy and meaning of life and living.
At Hospice Toronto, where I was doing my original hospice and paliative care training, one of the presenters mentioned that the movie “Departures” would be really good for us to see in order to get more insight into the kind of work that Hospice is trying to do in our communities all across Canada. While I didn’t get a chance to see the movie at that time, I just received a notice from her that it is coming back, for 2 days only, as a promotional event for the re-opening of the Carlton Cinema at 20 Carlton St. (just east of Yonge) in Toronto. The dates are Wed. June 30 and Thursday July 1. It’s free except for a suggested donation of $2 to support the Toronto Star newspaper’s Fresh Air Fund, a summer camp program for needy kids.
There are lots of other great movies those days also, including Julie and Julia with Meryl Streep and Amy Adams and The Class, another foreign language film from France (Winner of the prestigious Palme d’Or at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival) with François Bégaudeau, Away from her with Julie Christie, Michael Murphy, Gordon Pinsent.
We are telling you this today because we think it might be a good movie for you and your mate to go out and see—a great idea for an almost free night out. If you are not a fan of foreign film, maybe go see one of the others and donate a few bucks to a very worthy cause. Why not spread the joy? Here’s a great opportunity to suggest a night out to a tired and frustrated Mom and Dad who you know needs a night out on their own and away from the kids. Do you need another reason?
Your night at the movies will turn Can’t to Camp by sending a needy kid to camp.
Departures will be shown both days at 6:40 and 9:20. You can find more details on the Carleton Cinemas website:
Japanese with English subtitles
Carleton Cinema’s: Wednesday June 30, 2010 – Thursday July 1: 6:40 9:20
Drama
Academy Award winner for Best Foreign Language Film, Departures is a delightful journey into the heartland of Japan as well an astonishingly beautiful look at a sacred part of Japan’s cultural heritage. Daigo Kobayashi (Masahiro Motoki), a devoted cellist in an orchestra that has just been dissolved, is suddenly left without a job. Daigo decides to move back to his old hometown with his wife to look for work and start over. He answers a classified ad entitled “Departures” thinking it is an advertisement for a travel agency only to discover that the job is actually for a “Nokanshi” or “encoffineer,” a funeral professional who prepares deceased bodies for burial and entry into the next life. While his wife and others despise the job, Daigo takes a certain pride in his work and begins to perfect the art of “Nokanshi,” acting as a gentle gatekeeper between life and death, between the departed and the family of the departed. The film follows his profound and sometimes comical journey with death as he uncovers the wonder, joy and meaning of life and living. (Fully subtitled)
Director: Yojiro Takita
Cast – Major:
Masahiro Motoki, Ryoko Hirosue, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Kazuko Yoshiyuki, Kimiko Yo, Takashi Sasano