Ma. Maxine Estrelle Soliven Film EMC1 141599 Jiro Dreams of Sushi I. Discourse Jiro Dreams of Sushi is a film that centers on the life of Jiro and his passion for the art of Sushi. Jiro has been on his own ever since he was ten years old and dedicated his whole life mastering the craft of sushi making. At the age of eighty-five with two sons who also work in the same industry he isn’t stopping and still works on improving his skills which is the mark of a true Shokunin, a skilled craftsman who does the exact same thing everyday to the highest possible level in the never ending pursuit of perfection. We can see Jiro in his quest for perfection as he does everything with utmost dedication and always strives to be better than he was yesterday. This film is a beautifully shot documentary by David Gelb that captures everything you would want to know about Jiro’s three Michelin star restaurant Sukiyabashi Jiro. It shows the journey that Jiro had to go through to get to where he is now and that is making perfectly delicious sushi with his apprentices and eldest son Yoshikazu that will soon take over his father’s business in the future. It will be challenging succeeding his father’s position because as Yamamoto said in the documentary no matter how talented Yoshikazu is, he will need to be even more talented than his father in order to achieve the same levels of success.

II. Highlights

David Gelb uses a variety of angles and framing to capture Jiro’s world. Throughout the film the cinematography of the film varies. In shots of interviews it is usually a medium close-up shot that frames the subject from just below the shoulders to the top of the head. We can see this highlighted when Jiro is being interviewed about his passion for sushi in the beginning of the film. A series of extreme long shots can be seen combined with pan movement when the city of Tokyo is being shown; this technique really emphasizes the vastness of the city. We can also see a series of time-lapse and slow motions that add emotion to the shot. The time-lapse technique is applied to the streets of Tokyo where people are walking Tokyo and it can also be seen in the shot of the market place where people are busy working, this shot makes it seem that people are walking at a very fast pace in effect it gives emphasis to the busy and fast-paced life people that can be compared to Jiro’s Sushi restaurant that also serves sushi at a fast-pace but in contrast we can also see the slow motion technique in the shot where Yoshikazu warms up the seaweed in a wide shot to show how he works in that environment which he gives his time and effort to or when Jiro’s apprentices are preparing their dishes in the kitchen, it highlights the ingredients and makes us take a closer look at them through close up shots as well. The film also uses the zoom in and zoom out technique when showing photographs from Jiro’s past.

The film uses a variety of handheld shots to really get the feel of the documentary with the use of tracking shots most especially seen when Yoshikazu goes to the market to buy ingredients. The camera moves with the subject making sure to keep them in the frame. The film also made use of a fish eye shot while talking to the apprentices which I think fits the film very well. The tonality and exposure of the film favored its subjects and wasn’t too harsh for the eyes. It had a high-key lighting to show the different kinds of sushi and the details of it accompied by nondiegetic sounds of classical music that make you feel like you’re in a Jiro’s dreams.

But for me what really made the documentary beautiful and mouth-watering is the sushi and the technique of extreme close ups applied to the shot which shows the detail of the sushi and the handiwork that goes into making it. There is also a series of racking focus, which is a combination of deep focus and shallow focus that is applied when we see the sushi. The focus goes from the sushi master to the sushi itself.

III. Human Condition What separates the film from other documentaries is the depth of the story and how much passion Jiro has for his job. Despite being on his own at the age of 10 he has still managed to get his life together and is known today as the world’s greatest sushi chef even with this title he still strives to be better than he was yesterday. He does the same exact thing everyday so he can be better at it because that is the way of the Shokunin. This film has moved me and inspired me to look for my passion and striving to become the best there is. IV. Evaluation

Jiro Dreams of Sushi is one of the movies that I could watch over and over again even if it makes me crave sushi from the perfectly glistening rolls of sushi to the absolutely perfect egg cake. I don’t usually like watching documentaries since most of them are boring and usually tragic but this film is a celebration of food and life. It is a very beautifully shot film that is filled with shots and details on the daily life of Jiro and his sons and apprentices. The cinematography is spot on and the tonality and exposure of the film favors it subjects very well. The angles and framing of the film suit the overall feel of the movie, it was very minimalistic thus giving emphasis to the subject matter. I would recommend this to people even if they aren’t big sushi lovers because the story and cinematography of the film is really beautiful and it teaches you life lessons about how you should have dedication on something you’re passionate about. You would be able to achieve anything with dedication and hard work that is what I learned from Jiro. This movie is a must-see and will have your mouth-watering from sushi perfection.