"Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one owns death" this definition by Wikipedia is the perfect idea to talk about the documentary by Emmy winning filmmaker Lana Wilson The Departure which tells the story of Nemoto a Buddhist priest who works managing death workshops and suicide therapy. Nemoto lives with his wife, child, and his mother in a small town in Japan.
From the beginning of the film, we discover people affected by depression and suicidal thoughts who see in Nemoto the help they need. Who attended to this death workshops participate in an exercise which requires writing in pieces of paper things that are important to them in life, the exercise asks to withdraw one paper at the time leaving the most important things to keep with them until there is nothing left.
The audience understands how people forget what's important when they are alive, the subject becomes a big metaphor in the film. Nemoto helps so many people, but he forgets his own health. Through the film, he is confronted by his mother, his wife and also his own child who are so important to him. He seeks help doctors and medical test to figure out his illness but becomes clear, that his work is taking some toll on his own health.
Lana Wilson makes this powerful documentary about the value of life, what's important to each every one of us and how to understand that in order to help someone we need to examine ourselves first.