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Article: There is life to be found after death OKURIBITO (DEPARTURES).(Entertainment)(Movie review)
- Article from:
- Daily News (South Africa)
- Article date:
- November 6, 2009
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2009 Independent News & Media PLC. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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BYLINE: THERESA SMITH
EVOCATIVE and poignant, Departures will strike a chord with anyone who has ever had a death in the family.
However, do not be mistaken that this Japanese Oscar-winner (for Best Foreign Film) is just about death, grief and loss: it's about life, too.
When Daigo (Motoki) loses his position as cellist in a disbanded orchestra, he ends up working with the dead.
Death in Japan is a taboo subject and in a country where having one child is an enforced norm, it's not unusual for people not to have seen a dead person until they are adults.
Dealing with the dead is a ritualised affair and Daigo becomes a ...