Dec 7

“The God of Ramen” – Film Review from Australia’s 17th Japanese Film Festival

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The 17th Japanese Film Festival in Australia was the biggest and most extensive yet, with many of the films showing for the first time outside of Japan. Eden Law (Fukushima JET 2010-2011, current member of JETAA NSW reviews some of the films.

We give thanks this day for our daily bowl. Raaaaamen.

Reaching sold-out capacity at the 17th Japanese Film Festival Sydney showing, this documentary features the legendary ramen master Yamagishi, who ran the same ramen shop in East Ikebukuro in Tokyo, for over 40 years. The film captures the declining years of an institution, a very personal picture of Yamagishi who still stuck to his principles and maintained a rustic but irresistible dish that people queued two hours for, and in some cases, travel from prefectures around just for the experience.

This film isn’t just about making the perfect bowl of ramen, although Yamagishi freely allows the camera to film him working, as he doesn’t believe in trade secrets (indeed, he takes on everyone as an apprentice, from complete beginners, to experienced workers who already run their own ramen shop). “God of Ramen” goes beyond the food and the legend, and pretty deep into exploring Yamagishi’s life, motivations and his trials and tribulations, and filmed in a very intimate way, in a cramped tiny kitchen of a shop that only fits 16 people at any one time. So Yamagishi’s cheerful face fills up the screen frequently in extreme close-up. This is the extent of Yamagishi’s world, as he confesses he rarely ventures past its tiny confines, as the shop is not just his livelihood, but contains memories which are both highly treasured and extremely painful. The God of Ramen, lauded by many who primarily see him for his culinary skills, is quite human, lonely, suffering crippling pain and osteoarthritis, but remaining stoic and stubborn like a traditional Japanese man, for the sake of his customers.

For such a subject like this, the camera work and quality is surprisingly amateur, like a home video. In some scenes, the cameraman is clearly seen, with people running out of the way. It looks like something made for local Japanese tv, and has an ending narration that is a bit twee and sentimental. However, the film’s compelling subject matter overcomes its limitations, and is a poignant, engaging tribute to the charismatic Yamagishi, God of Ramen.

The God of Ramen (Ramen Yori Taisetsunamono) by Takashi Innami