The Bird People in China 1998  N/R, 118 min.
Genre: Foreign / Adventure / Comedy / Fantasy / Drama
Director: Takashi Miike
Cast: Masahiro Motoki, Renji Ishibashi, Mako, Wang Li Li, Yuichi Minato, Michiko Kase, Tomohiko Okuda, Manzo Shinra
When naive salaryman Wada (Masashiro Motoki) is sent to a remote Chinese village, yakuza Ujiie (Renji Ishibashi) stays with him to protect company interests. But, the trek is less than peaceful as they have multiple conflicts with each other. The guide, Shun (Mako), takes them into a remote village where Wada and Ujiie are sidetracked by a mysterious woman, Yan, Si-Chang (Wang Li Li), who tells them that she teaches children to fly. Now, finally, Wada and Ujiie take second looks at their lives and realize that they both have gained valuable insights.
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Departures 2008  N/R, 131 min.
Genre: Foreign / Drama
aka: Okuribito
Director: Yojiro Takita
Cast: Masahiro Motoki, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Ryoko Hirosue, Kazuko Yoshiyuki, Kimiko Yo, Takashi Sasano, Yukiko Tachibana, Tetta Sugimoto, Toru Minegishi, Tatsuo Yamada
Daigo Kobayashi (Masahiro Motoki) is a cellist who loses his job when his orchestra disbands. He and his wife Mika (Ryoko Hirosue) move back to Daigo's hometown in northern Japan, and Daigo answers an employment ad titled "Departures." The job entails working for a mortuary as a gatekeeper between the departed and the family of the departed. While all around him disapprove of his new job, Daigo takes pride in what he does and discovers his true purpose in life. Winner of the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
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| 1. The Bird People in China (1998)
2. Departures (2008)
aka: Okuribito
3. Gonin (1995)
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