Winner of the Oscar for Best Foreign Film, Japanese film, Departures, is a character study of a man who finds fulfilment and a depth of human connection in the most unlikely profession.

Daigo (Masahiro), a cellist, is laid off from his orchestra and moves with his wife back to his small hometown where the living is cheaper. He's thinking of applying for a job at a travel agency, but he finds himself being interviewed for work with departures of a more permanent nature – as an undertaker's assistant. Little by little he warms to his new profession, endowing the elaborate funeral ceremonies with grace and humanity.

Departures is screening at Rialto Tauranga.