Event

Departures, Sunday Schmooze

Sunday, August 23
Bagel Brunch at 10am
Film at 11am
Followed by Discussion with CAC Co-Director Vic Skolnick

$9 Members / $12 Public
Active Membership Will Be Checked

Also Screening: Monday, August 24 at 7:30pm
(Regular Admission)

In the delightful and profound film, a young Japanese cello player, Daigo Kobayashi, is crushed when he loses his position in a Tokyo orchestra. Distraught, he heads home with his new wife to the small village where he was born and raised. Answering an ad that calls for working with departures, Daigo assumes hed be working at a travel agency. Before even discussing the position, the owner gives him a handsome salary advance. The departures in question involve assisting his mentor (the job title is Nokanshi, or encoffineer) in an intimate, beautifully studied, final ceremony which takes place in the presence of close family members and friends. Daigo, and his mentor, gently prepare the bodies of the deceased for their last appearance, a sacred farewell ceremony before the cremation. He becomes, as his job requires, a gentle gatekeeper between life and death. However, his commitment is tested when his wife discovers this new profession. The film follows his journey (at times quite comical) from squeamishness to an understanding of the service he provides to the families, and their appreciation of this dignified ritual. Through being a keeper of this Japanese sacred cultural tradition, preparing at the time of death for ones entry into the next life, Daigo uncovers the wonder, joy, and meaning of life. Departures depicts the Japanese art of self-discovery. By peeling away layers of conventional thought and emotion, we not only find our true selves but also discover our place in the eternity of time. Vic Skolnick

2008, Japan, 131 min., in Japanese with English subtitles