I've been trying to fight off a cold for the past few days and this morning it took a decided turn for the worst. My throat hurt like a bastard and I sounded and probably looked a lot like Ethel Murman- which probably isn't that good of a thing as I think she's been dead for awhile now. So, I called in sick to work today, loaded up on Vitamin C an Day Quil and hopefully will get this damn thing under control. Netflix ensued.
I'd been wanting to see this documentary since I saw a preview for it a few months back and had been cursing my ineptitude for missing it when it was at the Bijou last month. So it was a pleasant surprise to find it on Netflix instant this morning and I watched it- immediately.
Following the story of a Master Sushi Chef in Tokyo, Jiro Ono who is 85 years old and still on a quest to produce the perfect sushi. His restaurant is a tiny, ten seat affair in a subway station near Tokyo's Ginza District and has been rated three stars in the prestigious Michelin guide which is about as good as you can get. His younger son, Takashi has already left and opened his own restaurant and his older son Yoshikauzu is facing the prospect of taking over his father's restaurant when he dies or retires.
What struck me immediately was how beautifully this film was shot. Every piece of sushi, every slice of fish looks like a work of art and in fact,t he view quickly sees that the craft of sushi as practiced by Jiro and his sons is just that- an artform. Jiro himself freely admit that he fell in love with his chosen occupation years ago and believes that once you find a dream occupation, you should work as hard as you can at it to achieve true success. He dreams of sushi and looking at his handiwork, it's not hard to see why. He's 85 years old and his entire life has been dedicated to one thing: sushi.
You almost feel sorry for his sons and the apprentices he's trained (the training his pretty hardcore, it lasts ten years) but the interesting twist at the end of the film is when Jiro reveals that the sushi is mainly done by the time it reaches him these days- and the food writer Yamamoto also reveals that he had heard that when Michelin was judging Jiro's restaurant it was the son Yoshikauzu who had done most of the preparation- using the techniques that Jiro had taught him. All of which leaves the movie hanging on the interesting question: who's the real Sushi master?
The cultural aspects of this are interesting as well. There seems to be a real respect for craftsmanship in Japan that is lacking elsewhere. (One of the main bartenders up at the Marvel Bar in Minneapolis trained in Japan- the elegant touches and artistry of the cocktails that resulted are an eerie echo to this movie.) And it's almost funny the amount of dealers that Jiro has. He's got a Rice Dealer (seriously) and a Tuna Dealer (tuna are freakin' huge. They look like pot roasts or freakin' hunks of beef.)
Overall: A beautiful, fascinating portrait of one man's life in sushi Well worth watching. (**** out of ****)
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