Japanese:

Departures (2008) おくりびと / Okuribito ("one who sends off")





Synopsis from AsianWiki:

Daigo Kobayashi (Masahiro Motoki) is an aspiring cellist newly hired by a symphony in Tokyo. No sooner than Daigo’s first performance with the orchestra he receives the devastating news that the orchestra will be disbanded. Daigo made the fateful decision to mortgage his future by purchasing a cello that cost well over $100,000. Now he has to break the news to his faithful wife (Ryoko Hirosue). When she asks Daigo what his plans are now, he suggests they move back to his rural hometown Yamagata and start over again. Daigo’s wife smiles and agrees to follow him to Yamagata.

After the couple settles into their new home, Daigo looks for a job. He finds a listing in the newspaper advertising a position that requires little hours, no experience, and centers around helping out others on their journeys. Daigo assumes the position is for a travel agent, but when he arrives at the office, he realizes the job is for an “encoffineer” (Nokanshi) – similar to an embalmer in the U.S., but requires the encoffineer to work in front of the deceased in a ceremony steeped in tradition. The job of an “encoffineer” is not a popular one in Japan and people often look down on the job as dirty. Daigo tries to keep his job secret, but soon rumors spreads around the small town. When Daigo’s wife learns of his new job, she gives him the ultimatum to quit his job or she’ll leave him.

My thoughts:
Perhaps this is a somber film befitting of the current pandemic. Yet among the dark plot, there are still humour and life in it. In this film, you get to see what encoffiners do in the tradition of Japan and how they perform their role. It's very eye opening in a way because it's different compared to our local culture here. And you can see the transformation in Daigo, who first couldn't accept the job but later on actually took pride of what he does. Giving the dead a dignified send-off is something prominent and central to the film as well.

The con would be slow story telling in the latter part of the film. The pace was good in the beginning/ middle but somewhat felt a little like a drag towards the end. But still, definitely worth a watch and you'll enjoy if this is your kind of theme/ film.

Haha i watched 7 samurai b4 and i still regard it as kurosawa best ever



Its so great that hollywood decided 2 adapted the screenplay as the magnificent 7 which is 7 cowboys with 7 guns inestead of 7 samurai with 7 swords

I going 2 sit through another 200 minutes now that you bring up kurosawa topic hahahaha

Kurosawa films are my only expertise and i only venture in that because i more pro HK than J K films

This post has been edited by skylinelover: Mar 30 2020, 08:47 PM

Really? Then off topic a little, good HK thriller/ psychological film? Or even horror anything good?

I am more an action folk than thriller and horror

Jackie Chan Sammo Hung Jet Li and lastly Donnie Yen

My ultimate saga is police story series and ip man series

These are the only series i will repeat viewings in my life time



here is the wiki on hk biggest grossing genre in the 80s

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_action_cinema

This post has been edited by skylinelover: Mar 31 2020, 11:10 PM

Danggg talk about Ip Man, this is really one of the best. I love part 1 so much, think I've seen it at least 3-5x and still find it good. The classic good vs evil still rulezzz

Talk about the 80s... this is really a good comedy, action and horror: The Haunted Cop Shop https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093522/

This post has been edited by sweet_pez: Apr 8 2020, 08:48 PM

Haha nice

And grats 4 your new promotion and new tag

Taken from Japan Foundation FB post:

JFF Online was launched as a new streaming service for indie films created by young Japanese directors, available for viewing free of charge!
(All films are English subtitled)

Just click below to start watching!
https://www.japanesefilmfest.org/streaming/

Short synopsis of films:
https://www.japanesefilmfest.org/all/streaming/4293/

Arigatou i also just realized when the tag was suddenly changed mid-way through surfing today hahaha

I really like korean movie and series than japanese. As mentioned by you.

1. Miracle in Cell No. 7
2. The Man from Nowhere
3. New World
These are awesome movies you can watch these days. I have watched them. Miracle in cell no. 7 is amazing. loved it.

Just out in netflix

I’m not sure if there is a lot ppl know about this anime or drama, GTO. Quite famous. But this is the newest series which talks about life Onizuka become teacher. I watched the series, it was funny.

Restricted movement life is almost over ... most are going back to full working mode.
After been lockdown most of the time at home, feels like normal life has changed.

I sometimes wonder, what if I didn't join the rat race, took a step back to look at life, and decided to make a life at a beautiful rural place.
That's what's on my mind while watching the Little Forest duology:-

1) [リトル・フォレスト: 夏/秋] Little Forest: Summer/Autumn (2014)
2) [リトル・フォレスト: 冬/春] Little Forest: Winter/Spring (2015)



Just 4 parts of laid-back relaxing films about 4-seasons life as a farmer in a small town called Komori, in Japan.
No real plots/storyline, just a girl escaping from her directionless life in Tokyo after been 'abandoned' by her mother. Slowly she's discovering back her love for the routine farming life through the food, and the recipes she learned from her memory of her mother.

If this looks familiar, for me who didn't know about the manga or the Korean remake in 2018 [리틀 포레스트], it feels/looks like the life of media creator/YouTuber 李子柒 Liziqi or 滇西小哥 Dianxi Xiaoge or 龙梅梅 Longmeimei, or even the Malaysian girl who moved back to her kampung and made agriculture her main focus, with added light story.

Good for pondering and wondering when life slowed down, a needed break from the norm.

Sometimes, after finished watching a movie, you feel like continuing with a similarly themed movie ... like want to watch a companion piece, so that both movies will be memorable.

After viewing Little Forest : Summer/Autumn, I did the opposite ... while waiting for my Mom to watch Little Forest : Winter/Spring together the following day, I just wanna carry on with other Japanese movies which I know my Mom won't watch; as it happened, becoz it's 'convenient', I just choose Parasyte Part 1 & 2 ... maybe becoz it's a 2-parter as well (technically Little Forest is 4-parter).

While watching, I thought, aeii? ... this main actress looks familiar ... oh, it's the same main actress in Little Forest. Ai Hashimoto [橋本 愛]
Same released years somemore


1) [寄生獣] Parasyte: Part 1 (2014)
2) [寄生獣　完結編] Parasyte: Part 2 (2015)

Watchable ... not bad, the special effects more than acceptable ... and the storyline got mother issue plot as well .... talk about unconnected, but related.
Rather than an action-packed alien invasion, it focused more how becoming less human (for the human side), and how to understand human (for the alien/parasite side).
Funny in parts, gory in most scenes, it's a drama about humanity.

The main actor, Shota Sometani [染谷 将太], didn't follow his career; seems like a prolific actor, starred in quite a lot of movies/tv series/voice acting since 2010. Ai Hashimoto acted with Shota Sometani also in Sadako 3D (2012), and Parks (2017); not surprising, Shota is like Kevin Bacon in the 80/90s (hence the 'game', 6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon). Actually got more than few of Shota's films, haven't watched yet .... and now hibernation mode is over.

Haha there is hope for kampong roots then if more young uns decide 2 quit the rat race once and 4 all



Theres 2 more sensation you missed mentioning

Sugu Pavithra sama veveonah



RM10k per video with 100k plus viewers

Both video about mastering the basic survival needs

Nothing fancy. Just hp camera will do. Hahahaha. Never imagined simple things like this can explode the youtubesphere.😂😂🤣🤣

This post has been edited by skylinelover: Jun 27 2020, 01:13 PM

good movies