Review of Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011) by Art S — 29 Jan 2014

I don't eat sushi myself, but this is less a film about that food and more a film about a man with a work ethic. Jiro is 85 years old and still running his world-famous (3 Michelin-star) restaurant in Tokyo, with the aid of his oldest son; his other son has opened his own restaurant with a similar style.

However, this documentary, as interesting as it may be on the surface (especially if you are new to sushi or Japanese culture), doesn't plumb the depth of character that someone like Errol Morris can and doesn't make the world depicted as wondrous and strange as someone like Werner Herzog can.

Still, David Gelb has created a simple look at a simple successful man aided tremendously by the music of Philip Glass (a documentary cliché by now) and other well-chosen minimalist pieces.