This is some serious food porn. Are you a sushi lover? Are you film fan? Then you're going to want to check out the documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi, now in limited release from Magnolia Pictures. For those of you in the Bay Area, it opens this Friday, March 16 in Los Angeles, and expands to other cities in coming weeks.
The movie is a elegant portrait of 85-year-old Jiro Ono, considered by many to be the world's greatest sushi chef. He is the proprietor of Sukiyabashi Jiro, a ten-seat, sushi-only restaurant located in a Tokyo subway station, where he has spent his life in pursuit of making that perfect piece of sushi. See, you're hungry already. Here's the trailer:
Here's the official synopsis:
JIRO DREAMS OF SUSHI is the story of 85 year-old Jiro Ono, considered by many to be the world’s greatest sushi chef. He is the proprietor of Sukiyabashi Jiro, a 10-seat, sushi-only restaurant inauspiciously located in a Tokyo subway station. Despite its humble appearances, it is the first restaurant of its kind to be awarded a prestigious 3 star Michelin review, and sushi lovers from around the globe make repeated pilgrimage, calling months in advance and shelling out top dollar for a coveted seat at Jiro’s sushi bar.Holy moly. If that doesn't want to make you get your food porn on, here's another clip from the film. I haven't seen Jiro yet, but I'm told that those who watch it will immediately feel compelled to drop some serious cash on an expensive sushi feast. You've been warned. For further information about the fillm, go to Magnolia's Jiro Dreams of Sushi website here.
For most of his life, Jiro has been mastering the art of making sushi, but even at his age he sees himself still striving for perfection, working from sunrise to well beyond sunset to taste every piece of fish; meticulously train his employees; and carefully mold and finesse the impeccable presentation of each sushi creation. At the heart of this story is Jiro’s relationship with his eldest son Yoshikazu, the worthy heir to Jiro’s legacy, who is unable to live up to his full potential in his father’s shadow.
The feature film debut of director David Gelb, JIRO DREAMS OF SUSHI is a thoughtful and elegant meditation on work, family, and the art of perfection, chronicling Jiro’s life as both an unparalleled success in the culinary world, and a loving yet complicated father.