31. Jiro Dreams of Sushi

Yea, I’m now counting documentaries in this. Why not? Jiro Dreams of Sushi is an interesting look at an old Japanese sushi chef who is at the top of his game, due to a a life of hard work and full dedication.

Jiro runs a small sushi bar/restaurant with only 10 seats, but has 3 Michelin stars and seems to be regarded as the best sushi chef in Japan. My main takeaways from the movie is that all the sushi I eat over here is clearly peasant food, and that I need to get to Japan ASAP. I love nigiri (no time for sushi rolls) and the movie is essentially an hour and a half of Jiro’s story cut with slow mo close ups of nigiri presentation and opera music.

This movie is good – but don’t believe those people that tell you it’s the greatest doco out there. It really is interesting, you get to see the story of a man who has completely dedicated his entire life to his work, sushi. However, it’s pretty repetitive. We learn Jiro is a hard worker. He strives to improve every day. He only uses the best fish. He is the best sushi chef in the world. Then, we learn Jiro is a hard worker. He strives to improve every day. He only uses the best fish. He is the best sushi chef in the world. You see where I’m going? It’s a great doco and character study, but don’t be fooled into believing it’s more than what it is because it’s well shot and an interesting story.

If you want to see sushi being place down in slow mo close ups for an hour and a half – this is the movie for you. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, I love sushi. I love Japan. I love the culture and the story is really interesting. Just don’t be fooled into believing the film is more than the sum of it’s parts because a couple of reviewers telling you this is the best documentary out.

Doyle’s Rating – 3.5/5 – I really enjoyed this doco. It’s a pretty good look into Japanese society and work ethic, however I do feel like it’s somewhat overhyped. Worth a watch for any Sushi lover who can stand subtitles.