Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011): Preserving A Way of Life

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.