Departures is a 2008 Japanese drama film directed by Yōjirō Takita and starring Masahiro Motoki, Ryōko Hirosue, and Tsutomu Yamazaki. The film follows a young man who returns to his hometown after a failed career as a cellist and stumbles across work as a nōkanshi—a traditional Japanese ritual mortician. He is subjected to prejudice from those around him, including from his wife, because of strong social taboos against people who deal with death. Eventually he repairs these interpersonal connections through the beauty and dignity of his work.

Yōjirō Takita is a Japanese filmmaker. Takita received an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film for his 2008 drama Departures. It marked the first time a Japanese film won the award after the category first became competitive in 1957.