Departures (2008)

Story: Death might not seem like an original plotline, for me it isn't, but the idea of doing a movie based on a "nokanshi"'s work seemed pretty interesting to me. I had never seen anyone do something like that. And It was, particularly, interesting to see the way they are viewed by friends and family.

Acting: I really liked the acting. The initial reactions everyone had, the way people mourned. I've never seen a "nokanshi" work, but the way the actors gave life to the ritual in those scenes through the movement of their hands, and body in general, made it look like art. It was beautiful and I felt fascinated by all of it.

The way the movie closed was also touching and beautiful.

Music: The music was excellent. It created the right atmosphere by intensifying the feelings and actions the actors were portraying or by creating a calm atmosphere when needed. It never felt like it didn't belonged.

One thing you should know before starting this movie is that it's not a terribly exciting like those with lots of action sequences. It has a slow kind of pace, but it's over before you know it because of the way the story flows and the way the music helps that flow. It also has a few minor comedic scenes tossed in there. I'm sure I'll eventually re-watch it.

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