Departures

Wow. The first half was a bit slow and maybe a bit too slapstick compared to the second. But the second half... sniffles from all over the theater. Some absolutely beautiful scenes. The acting was fantastic, the music was used incredibly well. Some very nice, simple cinematography as well.

My only complaint is that they could have explained a bit more of the social stigma surrounding morticians in Japanese culture. I'd just happened to read about it a bit the week prior to seeing this, and that understanding certainly helped convey how important some of the character reactions were. That lack of context might make this a bit harder to catch on with American audiences.

But wow. So good. I went into this expecting to be a bit underwhelmed because of the hype, and left completely blown away.