ARTICLE
26 February 2026

An Analysis of the Ethical Value and Aesthetics of the Movie "Departures" from the Perspective of Ritual Narrative

Yiyun Zhou*
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1 School of Medical Humanities and Management, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325035, Zhejiang, China
LNE 2026 , 4(2), 157–161; https://doi.org/10.18063/LNE.v4i2.1522
© 2026 by the Author. Licensee Whioce Publishing, Singapore. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )
Abstract

Ritual narrative is of great significance in the fields of medical humanities and palliative care because of its strong cultural symbolism and emotional cohesion. The Japanese film "Departures" shows the solemnity of the encoffining ceremony through visual form, completing the narrative reconstruction from dispelling professional prejudice to restoring the dignity of life. The encoffining ceremony is not only a physical modification of the deceased's body, but also a restoration of the emotional memory of the bereaved family members and a reaffirmation of the meaning of the lives of the living. The study provides an in-depth analysis of how ritual behaviors in movies intervene in the field of life and death, revealing their ethical value and aesthetic enlightenment in the context of contemporary hospice care.

Keywords
palliative care
ritual narrative
"Departures"
narrative medicine
References

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