April 22nd marked the beginning of the increasingly pervasive Tribeca Film Festival. In between launch parties and promotional events, there is a schedule jam-packed with some of the year’s most magnetic films. Tonight, two friends and I were invited to screen one such film – the Oscar winner for best foreign film: Departures.

Racing after work to preen and throw on some festival-appropriate attire, I met my friends Sarah and Caroline, with just minutes to spare. Although the theater was already crowded, we nestled ourselves in between some Hollywood hot shots and foreign journalists and tried to equally play the part. After a short introduction from the film’s lead actor, Mashahiro Motoki and director, Yojiro Takita, the screening began. Departures regales the story of a cellist who has suddenly lost his job and is forced to move back to his hometown in Northern Japan. Trying to make ends meet, he takes a job as “encoffiner,” or a funeral professional who prepares deceased bodies for burial and entry into the next life. Against the wishes of his wife and frowns from fellow townspeople, he keeps his job and is taken on a heart-warming journey of self-discovery. Amidst funny anecdotes and touching scenes, Departures proves to be a culturally agnostic triumph, allowing everyone to find a little of their own lives in the characters of the film.

After shedding a few (happy) tears and sharing several laughs, the screening came to a close. My friends and I stuck around for the Q&A session after the film, “hob-knobbing” with all the film types. Once we felt we could small-talk no more, we all decided to it call it a night and retired to the comfort of our own personal screening rooms: our apartments.

Alas, another wonderful New York City night!