We watched an excellent film last week in class. In short, it was about a Japanese musician Daigo who believed that music would be his life. Like most of the time, things don't work out as we plan them to. He loses his job as a musician, moves back to his home town with his wife Mika where he grew up in and starts to work secretly as an mortician. Daigo meets an old friend while leaving work and walking home who tells him to get a real job. As life so often is, the same friend's mom dies weeks after that and Daigo earns the respect of his old friend, but more importantly his wife Mika. Finally, he gets a phone call that his father died who left him and his mom when Daigo was only ten years old. Daigo and Mika drive to where his father died, and at first cannot recognize his dad. Daigo finds a stone in his father's hand and remebers the stone-letter story his dad told him as a boy. It's like all the anger and disapointment that Daigo kept inside for all those years melted away in an instant. The message is, it's never to late to find closure with someone who departed or passed on.
When we first started the film I did not think I was going to enjoy it at all, I was very wrong! I found the film very interesting to see what happens in other cultures and it was a great message as you mentioned, it is never too late to find closure. I know I lost both my grandmas, one about five years ago, and the other grandma about three years ago. At the time I did not really greive, we just didnt really talk much about it, I think that is why know when I think about them, or listen to a song we played at their funeral I still get very upset. But thats one way that helps me find closure, or look at old pictures too.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the film. I felt that Daigo went through a lot of transitions, including his career change, moving away from Tokyo, almost losing his wife, changing from just a husband to a husband and a father and mastering the art of encoffinment. I didn't like the character of Mika, his wife, in the movie; she was too sugary sweet for me. I felt that she was very one-dimensional.
ReplyDeleteThe process of encoffinment shown in the film was beautiful and almost artistic. It was incredible how the entire family and close friends of the deceased were in the same room while the ceremony was being performed. The level of respect shown the deceased was amazing.
I enjoyed this movie very much and i was very glad to have been introduced to it because i had never heard of it. I have since introduced this movie to several people and they have all enjoyed it and it has helped some to deal with death. The acting was very good as well and it gave me a good insight as to how death is viewed in the Asian culture.
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