Jiro
Dreams of Sushi (2011) chronicles the day-to-day work
life of 85-year-old Jiro Ono, a world-renowned sushi chef and owner of
Sukiyabashi Jiro, a prestigious ten-seat sushi restaurant in Tokyo, the only
restaurant of its kind with a three star Michelin rating. Although this
prestige attracts sushi lovers from around the world to make reservations
months in advance for one of the few seats at Jiro’s sushi bar, it is Jiro and
his sons, rather than the restaurant, that provide focus for this revealing
documentary.
Although the film’s production notes
suggest the film “is a thoughtful and elegant meditation on work, family, and
the art of perfection,” however, the relationship between Jiro and his eldest
son moves beyond revealing the complexity of Jiro’s multiple roles as culinary
success and loving but demanding father. The relationship also reveals the
changing attitudes toward the environment that must be embraced for the dream
of sushi to continue. In order to continue the traditions Jiro establishes as a
sushi master, his eldest son Yoshikazu must encourage an aquatic conservation
missing from Jiro’s experience. The drive to maintain his father’s reputation
as a sushi master, then, parallels the desire to preserve the sea life that
sustains it.
Despite any weaknesses they note,
reviewers laud the film’s presentation of Jiro and his goals to create the
perfect sushi. Noel Murray of the A.V. Club notes that the film “argues
persuasively that it’s that constant pursuit of improvement—even to the best
sushi in the world—that gives us all a reason to wake up and punch in.” Nicolas
Rapold of The New York Times declares Jiro is “a god among men.” Roger Ebert
calls the film “a documentary about a man whose relationship with sushi wavers
between love and madness. He is a perfectionist, never satisfied, and if you go
to work for him as an apprentice, you will have to spend weeks learning how to
squeeze out a towel properly before moving on to learn how to slice a
hard-boiled eggs.”
What they don’t note is the different focus
Jiro’s son Yoshikazu brings to the film during his trip to the fish market. The
scene is the market is reminiscent of segments in anti-fishing documentaries
such as The End of the Line (2009)
and We Feed the World (2005). Huge
tuna and other ocean fish lie in rows on a massive concrete floor ready for
bidding. After Yoshikazu purchases tuna, shrimp, and other seafood for the day
at the restaurant, he speaks reflectively into the camera, mourning the loss of
rare ocean life and promoting the need to conserve the fish that remain for
future generations. The film shows us plates of sushi items no longer available
because of the overfishing Yoshikazu laments. Although the film leaves this
scene quickly to return to Jiro and his amazing restaurant, it portends a
possible change when the now 85 year-old Jiro passes the restaurant onto his
son. This brief scene offers hope that preserving the excellence of Jiro’s
restaurant may also help save the sea.
