[film] departures おくりびと, Okuribito
 

WINNER of Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 2009 Oscars

I actually saw loads of this advert for this film in hong kong especially on my hotel tv. What captured me about this film was really the soundtrack- composed by joe hisaishi [well known for the studio ghibli films]

The plotline is about a former cellist and his new job-'assisting departures'
putting makeup on the deceased before they are buried etc. Its really a film about his life, so it's one of those artsy slow films i guess, but i REALLY WANT TO WATCH IT NOW. I have just placed an order on yesasia for it.

awards won
International

* 81st Academy Awards: Best Foreign Language Film
* 3rd Asian Film Awards: Best Actor (Masahiro Motoki)
* 17th Golden Rooster Award :Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor (Masahiro Motoki)
* 28th Hawaii International Film Festival: Audience Choice Award
* 32nd Montreal World Film Festival: Grand Prix des Amériques
* 20th Palm Springs International Film Festival: Mercedes-Benz Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature

[edit] Domestic

* 51st Blue Ribbon Awards: Best Actor (Masahiro Motoki)
* 33rd Hochi Film Awards: Best Film
* 32nd Japan Academy Prize Best Film, Best Director (Yojiro Takita), Best writing (Kundo Koyama), Best Actor (Masahiro Motoki), Best Supporting Actor (Tsutomu Yamazaki), Best Supporting Actress (Kimiko Yo), Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Sound Mixing, Best Lightings
* 82nd Kinema Junpo Awards: Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Actor (Masahiro Motoki)
* 63rd Mainichi Film Award: Best Japanese Film, Best Sound Mixing
* 21st Nikkan Sports Film Award: Best Film and Best Director
* 2008 Trailer ZEN Festival: Grand Prix
* 30th Yokohama Film Festival: Best Film, Best Director, and Best Supporting Actress (Kimiko Yo, Ryoko Hirosue)

Departures
 

Maybe you have already seen this but here is the American site

DEPARTURES - the movie from Regent Releasing.

One of the best Movies I have seen.
Links to copyrighted materials are NOT permitted or welcome here. Link removed.

What the hell? I live in one of the biggest cities in America and it's not playing here? Of course it's playing in Brattleboro Vermont, a very small town. I don't understand their thinking.

This might be of interest to you:

Award-winning film takes lighter look at grave subject of funereal work - The Mainichi Daily News

I just watched it, and I'll say this movie is like a nice breeze of fresh air after a long stench Hollywood gave me.

It's still in theaters? It is not yet out on DVD...

If you click on the link on the poster above mine it takes you to where it's playing.

I heard it was really good, but for some reason I don't want to watch it.

I saw this movie a few days ago, a friend recomended it.

The movie was really great. The atmosphere was really great. It was a real tear jerking movie, I cried like a little girl 3 or 4 times trough the movie.

The movie itself was very predictable, but that isn't always a bad thing.