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The Departure

Name: The Departure
Director: Lana Wilson
Released: 2017
Duration: 87 min

Representation Score

8.3/10

Excellent

2017

Not Rated

Director

Lana Wilson

Runtime

87 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

The Departure succeeds as a contemplative study that challenges Western-centric norms. It effectively redefines traditional masculinity by portraying a man whose strength lies in vulnerability and emotional service rather than stoic dominance. The film's greatest strength is its nuanced handling of disability and non-Western spiritual frameworks. It avoids common clichés, instead offering a sophisticated look at how ritual and philosophy address the end of life. However, the film remains centered on a straight-centered family structure. It lacks explicit LGBTQ+ representation or high-intensity identity politics, which limits its reach in those specific areas.

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Category Breakdown

Does The Departure have LGBTQ+ representation?

Fair

The film does not center on LGBTQ+ narratives or identities. The protagonist’s punk rock background suggests a connection to counter-culture, but the story focuses more on his straight family life and spiritual duties.

How does The Departure portray gender?

Fair

The documentary challenges traditional masculine stereotypes by showcasing a man defined by emotional labor and empathy. Nemoto's strength is highlighted through his compassionate nature and acceptance of physical frailty, rather than through dominance.

How racially and ethnically diverse is The Departure?

Good

By focusing on a Japanese Buddhist priest, the film presents a non-Western perspective on mortality. It avoids stereotyping Eastern practices, instead showing them as a sophisticated framework for dealing with existential questions.

How does The Departure represent religion and culture?

Good

The narrative emphasizes Buddhist approaches to suffering over Western Christian morality. It critiques capitalist ideas of productivity by highlighting a life dedicated to emotional service and ritual.

Does The Departure include disability representation?

Excellent

The film portrays chronic illness with dignity. Nemoto's heart disease is presented as a complex reality that affects his ability to make decisions, rather than just serving as a plot device.

Present on Screen

Challenges traditional masculine stereotypes by emphasizing emotional labor and empathy over physical dominance.
Provides a sophisticated, non-Western perspective on mortality and community support through a Japanese lens.
Portrays chronic illness with dignity, focusing on lived experience rather than using it as inspiration porn.

Limited or Absent

Lacks explicit LGBTQ+ representation or queer-coded narratives within the character studies.
Focuses primarily on a straight-centered family structure, limiting broader identity diversity.

Official Synopsis

An intimate character study of the complex figure Ittetsu Nemoto, an aimless and rebellious former punk rocker-turned-Buddhist priest. He is renowned in Japan for saving the lives of countless suicidal men and women through his wise and compassionate counsel. But Nemoto is now approaching middle-age with a wife and young boy of his own, when he learns his life is at risk from heart disease, compounded by the heavy emotional workload of supporting those who no longer want to live. When saving others takes such a toll, can he find the resiliency to save himself?

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