Personal Identity In Departures

The theme of personal identity is one that features in many Japanese films. One such film is Departures, directed by Takita Yōjirō, which explores the life of the main character, Daigo, finding his identity in the world after losing his job as a cellist and accepting the job as a Nokanshi agent. The film provides insight into individual identity and how it interacts with occupation and cultural perception. Some significant points that show this exploration of personal identity include the symbolism and comparison of the two cellos to Daigo, the journey towards Daigo’s job as a Nokanshi agent, and Daigo’s relationship and rediscovery of his father. Together, these themes provide insight into not only Daigo’s identity, but the theme of identity …show more content…
However, the cultural and social perception of his job has an impact on himself and his identity. When Daigo was still in the Orchestra, the viewer is clued in early on that he is going to lose his job due to the shots of the mostly empty audience. Shots that focus on Daigo playing show him as uncertain while the other cello players are focused and appear to be confident in their playing. Coupled with a close up shot of Daigo’s shocked expression while everyone else takes the news calmly gives the impression that only Daigo is hugely impacted by this revelation, showing how this is a big change in Daigo’s life, the first hint that he is unlikely to get another orchestra job. This starts the beginning over Daigo’s journey of self-identity, removed from his previous identity of a professional cello player, something that has been installed into him since he was a child. As he says himself, selling the cello is a relief, as though a burden has been lifted. Accepting to quit as a cellist opens himself up to new opportunities. Though at first he struggles with being a Nokanshi, due to the negative social stigma around death, he slowly finds himself through the role. It is at this point, when he has found stability in his identity, that the social stigma arises. This is shown well when his wife, Mika, confronts him about it. When he first accepted the job, Daigo was ready to leave once he found out what the job really was, unwilling to deal with the dead. Now in this scene, Daigo is defending his occupation, claiming that there is nothing wrong with it, unwilling to quit even when Mika says she will leave. The salmon scene is a reflection of Daigo’s life. He sees the salmon who have migrated back to their birth place despite all the obstacles that are in the way. Daigo thinks that it is not worth the effort to come back just to die while the man