Jiro Dreams of Sushi >> You Can Almost Taste It

At first glance Jiro Dreams of Sushi seems like a movie about, well, sushi, but not too far underneath the surface it’s actually a story about dedication and hard work.  85 year old Jiro Ono is the worlds best sushi as art as food chef in the world, with 3 Michelin stars, because of his dedicated to the craft at a very young age (9), and of course because of his sheer talent. If you’re thinking about flying to Japan for Jiro, you might want to think about it a few months in advance; to get a seat at his 10 seat restaurant underground there is a 2 month to a year wait list, and the starting price for a meal that will last about 15 minutes, will run you about 30 000 YEN (~$375).   The beautiful cinematography done by director David Gelb has you watering at the mouth, almost as if you can taste the juicy pieces.  When each piece is served and you can see the juices and the slight movement of the sushi move on the freshly cleaned plate, the taste is right at your fingertips and you can see the perfection that has gone into each and every piece.

The hard work Jiro has put into his career has transcended to both of his sons, who both aspire to be as good if not better than their father. Because of Japanese tradition, the eldest son must succeed his father, thus Jiro’s son Yoshikazu Ono works with Jiro, who will one day take over the restaurant, and hopefully be able to offer the same high standards.  Jiro’s other son Takashi has opened his own restaurant and still aims to be the best just like his father, but he offers a more relaxed atmosphere, where some customers have told him they find his father intimidating. Any man who is on the very top of his game better be intimidating. Regardless of the pressure Jiro has placed on his sons to be the best, he generally wants their eternal happiness, which can be seen when he talks about how his father abandoned him, forcing him to go to work at a very young age.

Not only do we get to see the the dedication Jiro and his sons have put into being the best, but also the people who work with Jiro, and apprentice under him are made to work hard to create the best cuts, the best egg, the best rice, etc., sometimes taking 4-6 months before they are able to achieve quality standards, and have what they have been working on served to Jiro’s customers. Again, this is not a movie about sushi, it’s about putting in the long hours and the hard work day after day perfecting your craft to achieve something to truly be proud of.  Even if you are not a fan of fish (like myself), Jiro Dreams of Sushi is inspiring, and the beautiful shots by David Gelb has you paralyzed in a dream like state for 80 beautiful minutes.