5 out of 5 stars

There is no question in my mind that Jiro Dreams of Sushi was fantastic. Most people—including me—can be wary of watching a documentary, but within the first five minutes of watching this movie, any worries of a dry documentary dissipated.

The documentary follows a sushi chef named Jiro, his sons, and his employees as they discuss success, family, self-improvement, Japanese culture, and, of course, sushi. At 85, Jiro still dreams of perfecting his incredible sushi at his acclaimed Tokyo restaurant Sukiyabashi Jiro, which only seats ten people and costs at least three hundred dollars per dinner.

Throughout the entire documentary, I couldn’t take my eyes away from the screen. I wanted to know more—about Jiro, about his family, about the future. By the end, I couldn’t help but want to go to Japan and try his sushi.

What stood out in this documentary was the cinematography, which added new depths to the colors of the fish and made the sushi appear incredibly delicious. Every little drop of sauce and slice of fish was illuminated in glorious detail. The visuals were created so artfully and meticulously that it felt as if the cinematographer was the Jiro of his profession.

Music is also a key part of the documentary as a whole, with many different types of classical music interwoven with the film to create more emotion—and some very recognizable ones, like Bach’s famous Cello Suite No. 1. Comparisons were made continually between Jiro’s sushi and music—he was the maestro and a meal was sequenced to taste like a symphony. The importance of the music could be felt for the entire documentary, and helped portray Jiro as a mysterious and talented sushi master.

The flawless documentary is filled with artistry as it delves into Jiro’s life of sushi. Anyone who sees this will never think of sushi in the same way.