‘Departures’ to premiere in New York on May 1

Academy Award® Winner – Best Foreign Language Film

“Departures”

IS PREMIERING IN NEW YORK ON FRIDAY, MAY 1

Door 6:15pm, Film 7:00pm
Chelsea Cinemas: 260 West 23rd Street, NYC
Admission Free. RSVP to:
“Departures” Web page

The event will feature guest appearances by director Yojiro Takita and main cast member Masahiro Motoki. After the screening, there will be a Q&A session with the the director and actor for all attendees.

STORY: When a symphony orchestra in Tokyo disbands, Daigo Kobayashi suddenly becomes unemployed. Suffering from low self esteem, he faces the fact that not everyone who has devoted their life to music can become a top artist. With wife Mika in tow, he moves back to his hometown in the northeastern prefecture of Yamagata to live in his late mother’s house, which doubled as the local pub. Daigo’s father abandoned the family when he was a very small boy, but his mother never stopped carrying a torch for him.

Spotting a Help Wanted ad featuring the word “Departures,” he is excited about the prospect of trying a new career in the travel industry. He arrives for the interview, curiously eyeing the coffins lining the back wall of the office. The company owner, Sasaki, hires him on the spot, with only a cursory glance at his resume. Daigo finally ventures to ask what is involved, exactly, and is stunned to learn what he has gotten himself into: the ceremonial “encoffination” of corpses prior to cremation. Sasaki urges him to take the job, proffering large amounts of cash; he’s getting older and needs someone to carry on the tradition. Daigo overcomes his initial trepidation and agrees to try the job.

Daigo’s very first encounter with the dead is such a grisly one that it nearly puts him off the job for good. Sasaki is comically matter-of-fact but firm in his directives and tries to convince Daigo that they are providing an important service to their community. Other cases soon follow. Some are markedly traditional, featuring loving family members in the time-honored transition of grieving and saying goodbye. Others highlight the kind of pot boiler family dramas that are often fraught with unexpected conclusions: a beautiful suicide victim who appears to be female is actually transgendered and a teenager who caused a fatal motorcycle accident tests the fortitude of the victim’s family. He is also deeply touched by an elderly grandmother whom he dresses in the white socks and school uniforms of her granddaughters. Daigo encounters death in various forms and, true to Sasaki’s expectations, develops a deep respect for life in all its variations and a profound empathy for people trying to make peace with the finality of death.

Daigo’s wife Mika has been kept in the dark. At first, he was too embarrassed to tell her about his conversation-stopping profession. He was too embarrassed to admit he loved living in his hometown again with the people he knew while growing up while embracing his newfound connection to the living. However, it’s a small town and eventually she discovers his ruse. Appalled and disgusted, she won’t let him touch her and insists that he quit. When he refuses, she returns to her family in Tokyo. Daigo stubbornly clings to the sense of value he has found in himself and the work that he is doing. As winter turns into spring, his confidence blooms and he begins to take charge of the business for the aging Sasaki.

Unexpectedly, Mika returns with the wonderful news that she’s pregnant. Her affection is tepid but she begins to accompany him on his calls. Slowly, as Mika sees how he treats the deceased mother of a close childhood friend, and how he helps the family to achieve closure, she begins to accept Daigo’s career choice. When he receives word that his father has suddenly died, she helps him face a serious dilemma. With seething resentment bubbling to the surface, he tells her he is not obligated to take responsibility for the arrangements. As their relationship hangs in the balance, how is Daigo going to react as an encoffineer, a husband, a son and now a father and ultimately as a human being? It is Daigo’s turn to deal with life and death among the people who are dearest to him.

For more detailed information about the film go to the “Departures” Web page or NEW YORK – TOKYO

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