Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.5

Departures Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 13, 2010

Yojiro Takita's "Okuribito" a.k.a. "Departures" (2008) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Arrow Films. The supplemental features on the disc include making of documentary, "Encoffinment", and the film's original theatrical trailer. In Japanese, with imposed English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Masahiro Motoki

Daigo (Masahiro Motoki, Last Song) is a young cellist living in Tokyo who has recently won a spot in a local symphony orchestra. Like most professional cellists, he has invested in an expensive instrument, which he hopes to pay off in a couple of years.

Poor attendance and lack of serious sponsors, however, soon force the owner of the symphony orchestra to disband it. Shocked and devastated by the news, Daigo sells his cello in a local pawn shop and heads to his hometown together with his pregnant wife, Mika. They move in an old house, which Daigo’s late mother once used as a coffee shop.

Daigo answers a classified ad for "departures", assuming that it is from a travel agency. When he arrives at the company’s office for an interview, however, he discovers that "departures" actually refers to a ritual involving the cleaning and preparation of dead bodies. Desperately needing money, Daigo decides to take the job, hoping that it isn’t as bad as it sounds. At home, he tells Mika that he will be working for a company organizing special events.

The owner of the company, Ikuei (Tsutomu Yamazaki, A Taxing Woman), likes Daigo so much that he decides to use him in an instructional program, which is to be sold on DVD. A few weeks later, one of them reaches Mika (Ryoko Hirosue, The Legend of Goemon), who immediately decides to leave Daigo because she does not want to spend the rest of her life with a professional "encoffineer". Before she leaves, Mika tells Daigo that she would return only if he finds a new job.

Instead of looking for a new job, however, Daigo decides to master the ins and outs of the one he already has. He begins spending more time with Ikuei, who also teaches him about life and responsibility. Eventually, Mika returns, and together with Daigo discovers that it takes two to experience the wonders of life.

Departures, which won an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 2009, is a quiet but very emotional film about the end of a journey we call life. Throughout the film, the end is referred to as a physical and spiritual departure of sorts – which, supposedly, also marks the beginning of something else, something we know nothing about.

Departures is a carefully crafted film, blending comedy and drama in a rather unconventional way that does not seek to ridicule conventional perceptions about life and death. Rather, it focuses on the complex emotions that are associated with the two and specifically the manner in which they coexist within the Japanese society.

The film is notably slow and demanding utmost concentration. Each of the main protagonists has a unique story to tell that is important for the type of message the film delivers. There is a slight tendency to overdramatize in some of them, but generally speaking the film remains emotionally believable.

Motoki is terrific as the disillusioned cellist who faces a number of difficult dilemmas. His character transformation never feels rushed, which is one of the key reasons why Departures works well. Yamakazi’s performance is subtle, expressive, and richly nuanced, providing Departures with a wonderful sense of authenticity.

Yojiro Takita’s direction is assured and elegant. Cinematographer Takeshi Hamada’s lensing of provincial Japan is excellent, always complimenting the narrative not detracting from it. Joe Hisaishi’s lyrical music score also fits the tone of the film perfectly.

Note: In addition to the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, in 2009 Departures also won ten Japan Academy Prize Awards, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor (Masahiro Motoki), and Best Screenplay (Kundo Koyama).

Departures Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Yojiro Takita's Departures arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Arrow Films.

This is a strong high-definition transfer. Fine object detail is excellent, clarity very good and contrast levels consistent throughout the entire film. There are a variety of close-ups in the film and practically all of them look terrific. The panoramic vistas from the Japanese countryside also look good. Furthermore, the film's color-scheme is convincing - blues, yellows, greens, grays, whites and blacks are lush but at the same time natural looking. Film grains is also prominent. Finally, there are no serious stability issues to report in this review. This being said, there is some some extremely mild but consistent edge-enhancement that creeps in during a few outdoor scenes. The most obvious example is the scene at the river where the main protagonist remembers the gift his father gave him many years ago. Still, this is a very strong high-definition transfer that should please fans of this highly decorated film. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

Departures Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track and Japanese DTS 2.0. For the record, Arrow Films have provided imposed English subtitles for the main feature (they cannot be turned off).

The Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 is very good. It has a terrific, notably nuanced dynamic amplitude that treats Joe Hisaishi's wonderful music score very well. The long cello solos, for instance, sound great, while the dialog is crisp, stable, clean and very easy to follow. Like the actual film, however, it is rather subdued. Finally, I did not detect any disturbing pops, cracks, or hissings to report in this review.

As expected, the Japanese DTS 2.0 audio track cannot reproduce the nuanced dynamics of the Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. The dialog, however, is just as clean, stable and easy to follow.

Departures Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Making of documentary - a rather long featurette focusing on the film's production history and success. There is an abundance of raw footage from the shooting of the film here as well as numerous comments from cast and crew members. In Japanese, with optional English subtitles. (35 min, 720p).

Encoffinment - the unique Japanese ritual performed by Masahiro Motoki. Without sound. (15 min, 720p).

Trailer - the original trailer for the film. In Japanese, with imposed English subtitles. (2 min, 1080p).

Departures Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Departures surprised a lot of people when it won an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 2009, mostly because many of them did not know anything about it. Now that the film is available on Blu-ray, I hope that many of you will find the time to see it. I guarantee that after you do, you will have a greater appreciation for life. The Blu-ray disc herein reviewed, courtesy of British distributors Arrow Films, looks and sounds very good. Keep in mind, however, that it is Region-B "locked". VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.