Our Departures shows families can come in all shapes and sizes. Jun Kunimura, Kasumi Arimura and Ryusei Kiyama in Our Departures. Photo courtesy: TJFF
Looking to make a change after the sudden loss of her husband, Akira Okuzono, played by Kasumi Arimura, travels to her late husband’s hometown of Kagoshima, with her stepson, Shunya (Ryusei Kiyama), in tow.
She finds her husband’s estranged father, Setsuo (Jun Kunimura) and convinces him to let the two move in.
A widower, Setsuo lives alone and works as a train driver close to retirement. The trains become the catalyst that move this story forward. They are what originally separated the family when Setsuo’s son did not want to be a train driver and wanted to get far away from Kyushu.
Now the trains brings the family back together. Akira, looking to build a good home life for her stepson, decides to get a job as a train driver and young Shunya loves trains.
A warm, touching story about the importance of family, Our Departures embraces the idea that families can come in all shapes and sizes and do not have to be connected by blood to be family.
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Nikkei Voice will be a screening partner for the Toronto Japanese Film Festival’s North American premiere of Our Departures.
Join us on Thursday, June 13 at 7 pm to enjoy to heartfelt drama for a fun evening! Get your tickets here.