Departures (2009): Cast, Ratings, Box Office & Plot
Departures is a 2009 comedy drama directed by Yôjirô Takita, starring Masahiro Motoki, Ryoko Hirosue and Tsutomu Yamazaki. It runs 2 hours 10 minutes and earned $74.2 million worldwide. It won 1 Oscar, including Foreign Language Film. Critics gave it 80% on Rotten Tomatoes and 68 on Metacritic, and IMDb users rate it 8.0/10.
- Released
- Runtime
- 2h 10m (130 min)
- Director
- Yôjirô Takita
- Original language
-
Japanese - Studio
- Regent Releasing
- After the credits
- No No extra scene
What Is Departures About?
The premise of Departures without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.
Following the dissolution of his cello quartet, Daigo Kobayashi reluctantly takes a job as an apprentice mortician. Initially struggling with the unfamiliar and often unsettling nature of his new profession, he gradually finds respect and meaning in preparing the deceased with dignity and care. Through his work, Daigo gains a profound appreciation for life, loss, and the beauty of human connection.
Departures Themes & Keywords
· 50 tags- funeral
- pregnant wife
- father son relationship
- cellist
- undressing someone
- pregnancy
- casket
- japanese schoolgirl
- japanese high school girl
- lgbtqia
- japanese girl
- japanese woman
+38 more Show fewer
- persimmon
- theater
- misprint
- cactus
- scrub
- cadaver
- crematorium
- sukiyaki
- video player
- harbor
- fisherman
- metaphoric title
- humanism
- resume
- transgender
- cisgender
- instructional video
- applying make up
- japanese wife
- altar
- cameraman
- playing music
- music playing
- eating a sandwich
- mountain
- snowy mountain
- heater
- agnostic
- secretary
- covering someone with a coat while sleeping
- hearse
- playing music outdoors
- man wears a suit and tie
- christmas
- christmas decoration
- christmas tree
- man wears eyeglasses
- car
Departures Cast
Masahiro Motoki leads the cast, with Ryoko Hirosue and Tsutomu Yamazaki. Directed by Yôjirô Takita.
- Director Yôjirô Takita
More from Yôjirô Takita
One more film directed by Yôjirô Takita: Onmyoji: The Yin Yang Master.
Departures Reviews & Ratings
Critics gave Departures 80% on Rotten Tomatoes and 68 on Metacritic, and IMDb users rate it 8.0/10.
-
IMDb 8.0 /10
See on IMDb -
Rotten Tomatoes 80% Tomatometer
Popcornmeter 92%
See on Rotten Tomatoes -
Metacritic 68 Metascore
User score 8.0
See on Metacritic -
TMDB 82% User score
See on TMDB
Departures Plot Summary
What happens in Departures from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 12 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 3-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
Daigo Kobayashi [Masahiro Motoki] loses his job as a cellist when his orchestra is disbanded. He and his wife Mika [Ryoko Hirosue] move from Tokyo to his hometown in Yamagata, where they live in his childhood home that was left to him when his mother died two years earlier. It is fronted by a coffee shop that Daigo’s father had operated before he ran off with a waitress when Daigo was six; since then the two have had no contact. Daigo feels hatred towards his father and guilt for not taking better care of his mother. He still keeps a stone-letter — a stone which is said to convey meaning through its texture — which his father had given him many years before.
Full summary
The whole story of Departures, scene by scene
Departures Box Office
Departures grossed $74.2 million worldwide. $1.5 million came from the US and Canada and $72.7 million (98%) from the rest of the world.
Worldwide gross
$74.2M
- US & Canada
- $1.5M
- International
- $72.7M
Departures Awards & Nominations
Departures won 1 Oscar, including Foreign Language Film.
1 win1 nomination1 ceremony
-
Oscars 2009 1 win · 1 nomination- Won Foreign Language Film
Departures Trailers & Videos
The teaser of Departures.
How Well Do You Know Departures?
10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.
Question 1 of 10
- Question 1: not answered
- Question 2: not answered
- Question 3: not answered
- Question 4: not answered
- Question 5: not answered
- Question 6: not answered
- Question 7: not answered
- Question 8: not answered
- Question 9: not answered
- Question 10: not answered
Which instrument does Daigo Kobayashi play before he loses his job?
Cars in Departures
6 cars on screen, including the 1992 Toyota Crown Hearse and the 1993 Mitsubishi Fuso Aero Midi MK.
-
1992 Toyota Crown Hearse Main role -
1993 Mitsubishi Fuso Aero Midi MK Minor role -
1991 Toyota Crown Station Wagon Minor role -
Honda Acty Background role
Departures Also Known As
24 alternative titles, including “送行者，礼仪师之奏” and “Okuribito”.
- Also known as
-
- 送行者，礼仪师之奏
- Okuribito
- 굿' 바이
- 굿' 바이: Good & Bye
- A Partida
- 入殓师
- Départs
- Despedidas
- Ушедшие
- Nokan - Die Kunst des Ausklangs
- Lähtöjä
- Távozások
+12 more Show fewer
- Pożegnania
- Avsked
- Průvodce
- Son Veda
- Αναχωρήσεις
- פרידות
- Відбуття
- 굿바이
- 送行者：禮儀師的樂章
- 禮儀師之奏鳴曲
- ความสุขนั้นนิรันดร
- Išlydėtojai
Seen Departures?
Movies Like Departures
Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including Funeral Parade of Roses, The Funeral and Farewell to the Land.
Departures FAQ: Cast, Box Office & Awards
Runtime, release date, director, cast, box office, ratings, awards and post-credit scenes of Departures, each answered in a sentence.
How long is Departures?
Departures runs 2 hours 10 minutes (130 minutes).
When was Departures released?
Departures was released on May 29, 2009.
Who directed Departures?
Departures was directed by Yôjirô Takita.
More films by Yôjirô Takita Who is in the cast of Departures?
Departures stars Masahiro Motoki, Ryoko Hirosue and Tsutomu Yamazaki.
How much did Departures make at the box office?
Departures grossed $74.2 million worldwide ($1.5 million domestic, $72.7 million international).
How is Departures rated?
Departures has 8.0/10 on IMDb, 80% on Rotten Tomatoes, 68 on Metacritic and 82% on TMDB.
What awards did Departures win?
Departures won 1 award from 1 nomination, including Foreign Language Film at the Oscars 2009.
Does Departures have a post-credit scene?
No. Departures has no extra scene during or after the credits.
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