Into the wooden box

Departures (2008)

Directed by Yojiro Takita this film stars Masahiro Motoki, Ryoko Hirosue and Tsutomu Yamazaki. After the orchestra he works in goes bankrupt a man and his wife return to his home town where he gets a job helping prepare the dead to be buried.

As much as anything this is a look at the process of grieving and how rituals can help us say good by to loved ones. The film is touching and manages to stay clear of the melodrama it skirts around at times. There are really good performances from the cast, especially the leads that have to perform the delicate ceremonial preparations.

4/5