This was a very-well constructed film, both character and plot-wise. It deals with a very uncommon subject: a story about a guy and his journey through a career preparing "bodies of the departed" for cremation.
Despite this grim subject (and the movie does illustrate its "grimness" well), it actually manages to pull off some humor and an overall hopeful message, something very difficult to do for a film like this. The movie definitely takes some risks in that it could have potentially disturbed the viewer as it attempts to make this cremation process seem light-hearted. However, it successfully creates a sense of carefree-ness with its humor, and yet still captures the heavy feeling of losing a loved one. I think the movie's purpose is summed up well in the words of the cremator, or as he calls himself the "gatekeeper", when he says that death is merely a passing from this life into the next.
This film also provided an in-depth look at the process of preparing bodies for cremation. It's actually quite a fascinating process and it's beautiful. It really causes the viewer to have respect and awe for people in this often looked-down-upon position.
One problem about the film for me was that it seemed to lose some of its momentum towards the end. But maybe that's just because the beginning was so interesting. I really loved the interaction between Daigo and his boss and it was kind of a downer to see the comical dialogue between the two decrease as the film progressed.
Probably one of my favorite parts was when the rock slips out of Daigo's father's hands. That was a pretty emotional scene.
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