In this bittersweet comedy-drama, Kazuya (Keigo Heshiki), Masaru (Hirokazu Kagawa), and Syusuke (Tomoyuki Otsuka) are three close friends who grew up together in a small town where they've long felt held back. The three have graduated from high school and want to go out for one last night on the town before moving on to the big world outside their village. Kazuya has been accepted at a college in Tokyo; after initial hesitation, he's decided to go, but hasn't yet worked up the nerve to tell his girlfriend he'll be leaving. Masaru, who works part-time in a karaoke club, meets a girl he's never seen before, Ryoko (Kumi Fujita), and finds himself quite intrigued with her. And Syusuke has decided he's leaving Japan to try his luck in England. On his last night at home, he just wants to find a girl who will go to bed with him, and Mari (Rumi), whom he meets in a crowded bar, seems agreeable to the idea -- but things don't quite work out the way he had hoped. Departure was shown in competition at the 2001 Berlin Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi