Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011)

Director David Gelb

An appetizing documentary in every sense, Jiro Dreams of Sushi follows 85-year old master sushi chef Jiro Ono, owner of the esteemed 10 seat, $300 – a – plate Sukiyabashi Jiro restaurant in Tokyo. From the ins and outs of the tuna auction to the proper way to massage an octopus director David Gelb dynamically profiles all aspects of the craft in mouth watering style and detail, paying lushly photographed homages to the process of preparing the artisan sushi that earned Jiro and elite three Michelin stars. Beyond its cinematic celebration of the art of sushi, Jiro is also a film fundamentally about family, tradition, and the value of hard work. The complicated relationship between the master and Yoshikazu, his son and heir apparent, is a story of legacy, succession, and intergenerational tension – universal themes that transcend the specificity of their epicurean world. This emotionally resonant study of a son living in his father’s shadow is couched in an operatic spectacle of some of the world’s preeminent chefs at work, making Jiro a tasty treat that will satisfy all viewers’ cinematic cravings.

Tribeca Film Festival 2011