Rotten
The movie gestures towards deep emotions, but an abiding soft-grained superficiality effectively insulates us from the piercing realities of grief.
Trevor Johnston, Time Out
Overview
Daigo, a cellist, is laid off from his orchestra and moves with his wife back to his small hometown where the living is cheaper. Thinking he’s applying for a job at a travel agency he finds he’s being interviewed for work with departures of a more permanent nature – as an undertaker’s assistant.
Director and cast
- Yojiro Takita Director
- Masahiro Motoki as Daigo Kobayashi
- Ryoko Hirosue as Mika Kobayashi
- Tsutomu Yamazaki as Ikuei Sasaki
- Kazuko Yoshiyuki as Tsuyako Yamashita
- Kimiko Yo as Yuriko Kamimura
- Takashi Sasano as Shokichi Hirata
- Tetta Sugimoto as Yamashita
- Toru Minegishi as Yoshiki Kobayashi
- Tatsuo Yamada as Togashi
- Yukari Tachibana Cast
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
80%
Tomatometer
Fresh
A moving celebration of life through showing reverence for death.
Maggie Lee, Hollywood Reporter
Fresh
The winning nature of the performances outweighs Takita's more obvious choices.
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic
Fresh
Departures is sometimes macabre and sometimes manipulative, but the way it speaks to the spirit is miraculous.
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Fresh
Departures is a loving tribute to the Japanese way of death.
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel
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