Movie Reaction

The movie Departures touches upon some of the most essential aspects of Japanese culture, specifically regarding their values and beliefs. This film depicts the struggles of a man who is shunned by his friends and family for his new career. Diago hesitantly begins a job preparing the deceased for an afterlife. Throughout the film, the rituals and specific steps in which the dead are groomed and appreciated are depicted. It is clear that Diago’s job is extremely important as he is in charge of cleaning the body, dressing the body, painting makeup on or shaving the face of the deceased, and then placing the body into the coffin. All of this is done in front of the family, so it must be done in the most respectable and careful of ways.  It is clear that this event is an essential way in which the family members of the dead can grieve and get closure. Additionally, it is clear that the reason the dead are so carefully groomed is because it is believed that if they look physically beautiful before they are placed in the coffin, they will be eternally beautiful or clean.

            Firstly, it is important to understand the reaction of Diago’s family to his career path in regards to the Japanese culture. Diago’s wife so disapproved of his choice to continue in the job, that she left him, only to return when she became aware of her pregnancy. Even after she returned to her husband, she eagerly begged him to quit his job because she did not want her future child to have a father with “this kind” of position. Clearly, the job is socially rejected. After studying some aspects of Japanese religion and culture, it is apparent that for many, death is viewed as “unclean” or “impure”. Possibly, this kind of belief would lead to a stigma of this particular job as well. In other words, it is an “impure” or “polluted” career path.

            Also, it is interesting to see the cross-cultural differences between funerals that I am familiar with and the events that are portrayed in this film. Family and friends do not normally witness or participate in the preparation of the body in many funerals in the United States. Professionals prepare the body for burial or cremation privately, and family and friends will view the body only in the case of an open casket. However, many do not choose to have an open casket as only the casket will be revealed to those attending the funeral. Personally, it was shocking for me to see that family and friends gathered in a private home to spend such an extended period of time with the deceased individual. At the funerals that I have attended, the casket is placed at the front of the room, and family and friends can approach the casket to say some final words and pray.

            I think this was a very important movie to view in our class because there are so many differences in the ways in which families and friends say goodbye to their loved ones in Japan versus the United States. Through viewing funerals specifically, we are able to see a broad range of rituals, beliefs and societal norms apparent in Japanese culture.