Advanced Search Beta »
Basic Search Fields
Departures
Departures Image
See the trailer
Metascore
68 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 27 Critics What's this?

User Score
7.9 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 30 Ratings

Your Score
10 out of 10
Rate this:
  • Starring: Masahiro Motoki, Ryoko Hirosue, Tsutomu Yamazaki
  • Summary: Departures follows Daigo Kobayashi, a devoted cellist in an orchestra that has just been dissolved and who is suddenly left without a job. Daigo decides to move back to his old hometown with his wife to look for work and start over. He answers a classified ad entitled “Departures” thinking it is an advertisement for a travel agency only to discover that the job is actually for a "Nokanshi" or "encoffineer," a funeral professional who prepares deceased bodies for burial and entry into the next life. While his wife and others despise the job, Daigo takes a certain pride in his work and begins to perfect the art of “Nokanshi,” acting as a gentle gatekeeper between life and death, between the departed and the family of the departed. The film follows his profound and sometimes comical journey with death as he uncovers the wonder, joy and meaning of life and living. (Regent Releasing) … Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 27
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 27
  3. Negative: 0 out of 27
  1. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    100
    The movie is uncommonly absorbing.
  2. Empire
    Reviewed by: Phil de Semlyen
    100
    Heart-warming, funny, wise and profound. Not to be missed.
  3. Christian Science Monitor
    Reviewed by: Peter Rainer
    58
    Departures is sappy and wacky – not the best combination.

See all 27 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 16
  3. Negative: 2 out of 16
  1. reiovi
    10
    Beautiful film, great story and an amazing lead performance. The little details are the ones that makes you to not stop watching!! A very deserving winner of the oscar!!… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  2. IevaM.
    10
    This is a beautiful, extremely moving picture. Baa-humbug to those who gave it a negative review.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  3. Dave
    3
    Wow, the Academy sure missed the boat this year! Waltz with Bashir, The Class and Revanche are all light years better and FAR more deserving of the Oscar than this sappy drivel. I can only guess that there were a bunch of votes divided up between the other three with this sneaking in on top. Not only is this not the best foreign film, it isn't even the best Japanese film. I highly suggest Tokyo Sonata which is far superior to this.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes

See all 16 User Reviews

Trailers

Related Articles

  1. Awards, Movies

    Lost in Translation: Second-Guessing the Academy's Foreign Language Picks

    Lost in Translation: Second-Guessing the Academy's Foreign Language Picks Image
    Published: April 16, 2010
    Oscar-winning foreign language film "The Secret in Their Eyes" arrives in American theaters this weekend. But it's not the best-reviewed foreign film of the past year, continuing the Academy's decade-long trend of selecting lesser titles. What films have they overlooked?
    More »

Recommended Products

  1. A Separation

    A Separation Image

  2. Summer Hours

    Summer Hours Image

  3. The Descendants

    The Descendants Image

Current Movie Releases

Full List »
  1. Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol
    Metascore: 73
  2. War Horse
    Metascore: 72
  3. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
    Metascore: 71
  4. The Adventures of Tintin
    Metascore: 68
  5. Haywire
    Metascore: 67
  6. The Grey
    Metascore: 64
  7. The Woman in Black
    Metascore: 62
  8. The Iron Lady
    Metascore: 54
  9. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
    Metascore: 48
  10. Red Tails
    Metascore: 46
  11. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
    Metascore: 46
  12. Underworld Awakening
    Metascore: 39
  13. One for the Money
    Metascore: 22
  14. The Devil Inside
    Metascore: 18
  15. The Darkest Hour
    Metascore: 16
All Current Movies »