Intro to documentaries

            As I was reading about documentaries I kept thinking back to the last one I saw that I really liked, it was called Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011). It shows us Jiro, considered by many to be the best sushi chef in the world, and his life revolving around making sushi. It shows us his restaurant, his workers, and his two sons. I purposely described the film as “showing” us because that is really what it does, it is very much an observational documentary. We as the viewers really just sit back watch and listen to Jiro make and take about sushi. There is no “voice of God” and the only thing that really comes close a “voice of authority” and that is the food critic that’s friends with Jiro. However even though he does pervade a bit of the narration, it’s more in terms of stories than real detached authority.

The documentary also is not trying to make an argument. It’s showing us a person’s life and just letting us think about it. It really doesn’t have anything “bigger” to say, because lets face it, as much as I love sushi, and I do love sushi, in the grand scheme of things it’s not the most important thing. It’s a story about an interesting person who has I seemingly one-track mind, and how that has affected his life. As David Gelb, the director of the film, said, “here's a story about a person living in his father's shadow while his father is in a relentless pursuit of perfection.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1UDS2kgqY8