Departures is a 2008 Japanese drama film directed by Yōjirō Takita and written by Kundo Koyama. The film stars Masahiro Motoki as Daigo Kobayashi, a cellist who returns to his hometown with his wife after losing his job in a Tokyo orchestra. Desperate for work, Daigo stumbles into a job as an assistant to a "Nokanshi" - a traditional Japanese undertaker who prepares bodies for cremation.
Initially repulsed by the idea of working with the dead, Daigo gradually becomes engrossed in the process as he learns the deeply meaningful rituals of the nokanshi profession. As he helps prepare the bodies of the deceased for their final journey, he also comes to understand the importance of closure for the living, and the significance of honoring the dead.
As Daigo's skills as a nokanshi grow, he begins to form strong bonds with the families of the deceased he is tasked with preparing. However, tensions arise when his former colleagues discover his new line of work, and Daigo must confront his own shame and prejudices surrounding death and the way it is viewed in Japanese culture.
Departures is a powerful and emotionally resonant film that explores themes of loss, grief, redemption, and the importance of ritual in the face of death. It won numerous awards, including the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, and is widely regarded as a masterpiece of Japanese cinema.