Jiro Dreams Of Sushi - 2011 - No Rating

Subject:  Sushi chef Jiro Ono and his award-winning restaurant
Director:  David Gelb

Note:  Minor spoilers ahead

Woody Allen's characters would watch and likely love his films.  Noah Baumbach's too.  John McClane, before he was beset by German thieves holding his wife hostage, would probably have enjoyed Die Hard.  Mr. Brown's favorite film would be Reservoir Dogs.  To me, whoever interviewed chef Jiro Ono left out the most interesting question - why would he consent to having a documentary made about himself and his restaurant?  Jiro is portrayed as a tireless worker - his then 5 year old son asked his mother catching Jiro napping at home: 'why is this strange man sleeping in our house?', about which Jiro laughs now.  It's hard to imagine him sitting down to watch this film, or indeed any film.  I suppose it's the same reason why anyone would - to get your life story out there.

As a documentary, Jiro... manages to raise questions about the universal problem of work/life balance while showing a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at a high-end sushi restaurant operation.  Furthermore, it asserts the importance of techne - I don't know a better English word, as the word 'craft' has been corrupted  - the idea that by doing one thing over and over again, a person can continually improve at it.  However, he or she may not be able to express this improvement through words - it just is, through feeling and muscle memory.  It's a notion that's growing dimmer and dimmer in this data-driven society.