Ramen Heads

Osamu Tomita is counted at the very top of ramen in Japan. This documentary goes into his shop and shows every step of the work: the measure of water, bone, fish and salt; making the noodles himself; the lengths he goes to for ingredients. Koki Shigeno's film uses the shape of the food documentary, but its real subject is obsession. Tomita tries to do the same thing slightly better every day, and both the mastery and the exhaustion in that effort are shown. The film also covers the place of ramen in Japan, the culture of the shops and the queue outside the door. Other masters appear in short sections. The telling does not sanctify the food; it shows how it is made.