Departures

I enjoyed Departures, a Japanese film which won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2009. The film gives a glimpse into the beauty and elegance of Japanese culture. It is also an exploration of the preparation for death, which, paradoxically, teaches us to embrace and love life. We witness the transformation of a young man as he finds a way to serve his community. We also see the healing of old family wounds and the creation of a new family. There are plenty of light hearted moments to make the tone of the film hopeful and funny even though it deals with a serious topic.