The Departure

As part of Carnegie Mellon University’s International Film Festival, “The Departure” follows Ittetsu Nemoto, a punk-turned-Buddhist-priest. Nemoto has made a career in Japan out of helping suicidal people find reasons to live. As he refuses to draw lines between those he counsels and himself, Nemoto’s work comes increasingly at the cost of his own family and health. His growing self-destructive tendencies lead him to confront the same question his patients ask him: what makes life worth living? About a man at a crossroads, “The Departure” examines a delicate balance between