Metapsychosis

Journal of Consciousness, Literature, and Art

Departures (Film, 2008)

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Cultural Consumption Reviews Japanese film, burial practices, cello, death, film, grief

The Japanese film Departures, which won the 2009 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, is a quietly provocative story about a cellist who leaves the musical profession and finds a job preparing dead bodies for burial. Gentle, and sometimes funny, this movie breaks the taboos around death that can leave survivors locked in grief, and shines throughout with dignity and compassion. (content warning for some brief transphobic language which I suspect might actually stem from a faulty translation in the subtitles, and for depictions of suicide that may be upsetting for some viewers).

Find where to watch: https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/departures

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