Okuribito

Departures, (2008) dir Yôjirô Takita

Departures, or “Okuribito” is an unexpectedly funny film about a morbid job. Japan, with it’s many, many rituals and ceremonies, has a really odd one: the preparation of a corpse for cremation — in front of the family. Hilarious, right? It’s not a comedy, it’s a very sweet film and how a cellist finds himself preparing people for departures.