Everyone, at times, struggles with the universal question: What is success? Many pursue a comfortable lifestyle, others happiness; yet others pursue love or power. The titular Jiro, a master sushi chef in Japan, is left undefined by any of these categories. This documentary, directed by David Gelb, manages to capture a snapshot of the life that surrounds Jiro’s work.

Jiro’s restaurant is located in a basement near Ginza Subway Station in Tokyo, Japan. Its humble sushi bar holds 10 people, and there is nothing extravagant about the venue. So what makes it a three-star Michelin establishment, serving arguably the best sushi ever created?

The film’s mouth-watering depictions of Jiro and his staff’s masterpieces come only after a brutal dissection of what lies behind their construction. Everything from the lengthy massage of the squid to the orientation of the plate is scrutinized in fine detail by both camera and chef; anything less than a perfect process and presentation is failure.

Connected thoroughly with this, however, is an unexpected human side. Abandonment, war, and suffering all factor into Jiro’s past, and one wonders if his sons, who are set to succeed him, could ever escape his shadow. The sushi master offers no apology for what he has traded for his life’s work. Memorable shots ranging from storefronts to congested fish markets establish a surreal but visceral tone.
By its conclusion, the film’s various perspectives have spun a story of the enigmatic owner of the famed sushi restaurant and what he has achieved, creating a work of art arguably greater than Jiro’s 20-course meal. For Jiro himself, though, perhaps true success does not exist, making its pursuit all the more worthwhile.