Jiro Dreams of Sushi, a documentary by David Gelb, is about a man who
may be the world’s greatest sushi chef.
More, it’s an examination of what makes Japanese so culture so wonderful
and so constricting.
In Western culture, we revere the concept of the Renaissance
Man, the well-rounded individual.
In Japanese culture, they revere the expert, the man who devotes his
life to one thing and, with a Zen-like focus, does that thing as well as it can
be done. Jiro Ono is such a
man. 82 years old, he first
apprenticed in a sushi restaurant at the age of 9. He works nearly every day, literally dreams of fabulous new
sushi at night, and owns a restaurant that serves $300 meals and boasts a
3-star Michelin rating (the highest possible). His elder son is his #2 and will, one day, take over the
restaurant. His younger son owns a
branch in a different part of town.
They are gifted sushi chefs in their own right.
That focus, that lifelong drive for perfection in one thing,
has made relatively tiny Japan a world leader in science, culture, and
industry. It has also led to an
incredibly restrictive, hierarchical Japanese culture in which Jiro’s sons,
regardless of their ability and effort, will never be regarded as the equals of
their father. The best that they
can hope for is to achieve the rank of “not-disappointments,” and one of Jiro Dreams of Sushi’s triumphs is its ability to share with us
their pride in their own achievements and their knowledge that, no matter what,
they’ll never quite measure up to the Old Man.
Jiro Dreams of Sushi gives us all this,
taking us inside these people’s world from a culinary, technical, and personal
perspective. It does so with an
empathetic, engaged touch and a respect for its subjects. While I lack the palate to justify a
$300 sushi dinner, I came away from this film with a profound respect for those
who do and for those who can prepare food that’s worth the price. Jiro
Dreams of Sushi succeeds as a personal and professional exploration of
perfection, and I found it entrancing.
This is one of the best films I saw in 2012.
