Okuribito

Watched this yesterday with Kai after having not gone to the cinema for a show since 2 years back. Thumbs up for it; I'm glad we didn't watch Suspect X instead. The professionalism of the nokan was portrayed as typically Japanese - of the highest standards and with lots of pride - and I thought the male lead looked a bit like my bro-in-law too (Kai agrees with me). Not to mention that it was nostalgic seeing Ryoko Hirosue again after I first watched her on the annual Red/White program belting out 'Daisuki' when she was still a teenage idol; that must have been a decade ago, if I'm not wrong. She's still kawai though you can tell that she has aged and has gone through some rough patches in life. Kai thinks her role in the film is pretty useless but I thought she lent a bit of sunshine to it.
My tears peaked at the final scene where Daigo carried out the ritual for his long-lost dad; that was when the sobs in the audience peaked as well. I think it deserves its Oscar.
xxx
A dear aunt passed away a week ago. The rites were Buddhist but unknown to many, she had converted to Christianity before she passed away. This is a long story which I'll leave for another time. I mention it here because unlike in the film, the embalmer didn't do a good job for my dear aunt; what a pity.