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La tête en friche (2010)
a sweet little love story to warm the cockles
I won't lie to you, I am a bit predictable in my love for all things French. I'm a complete sucker for a French movie and if said French movie has the brilliant Gérard Depardieu in it then, well, I know I'm gonna be alright for ninety minutes or so.
My Afternoons with Margueritte (2010) is a sweet little story about a great lump of a guy and a dainty old lady who meet on a park bench in a small French town and strike up a lovely friendship based on her passion for literature and his love of, er, listening.
This film is incredibly twee and a bit sad like a lovely gallic, bittersweet hug. 'Oh mon dieu you are lovely ma cherie but you see I must leave you now for ma femme has le dinner sur le table'...something like that.
The story is a good one though, based on the book La Tête en Friche (also the French title for this movie and translating to something like idle-headed!) by Marie-Sabine Roger. The theme is breaking apart traditional definitions of love and it ends with a beautiful soliloquy by Depardieu that begins "It's not a typical love affair, but love and tenderness, both are there", sounds more like the beginning of a Greek tragedy doesn't it? I would like to read the book now but I do think the French title is a bit harsh. Depardieu's character, Germain, is a bit thick but not in a horrible way and he has a heart of gold and for that matter a really foxy girlfriend which confused me for fully five minutes! Huscat would hate it, so glad I watched it toute seule. I had a little weep at the end, no spoilers, not going to tell you nothing, its just nice. Watch it for a cockle warming.
Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011)
If you want to know how to live well, Jiro will show you how
I don't even like fish. I hate the very thought of sushi. This documentary film should really have been consigned to the 'do not watch, like ever' list but I found myself reluctantly immersed in Jiro's fabulous world of sushi the other night and I quite liked it. In fact I really loved it.
I had NO idea. No idea at all about sushi, thought it was just a bunch of cold, raw fish, in fact it is essentially just a bunch of cold, raw fish but we'll leave that thought there for now. This film hooks you from the off, that's all you need to know.
Jiro Ono is an 85 year old sushi master who runs a tiny sushi restaurant in Tokyo that has three Michelin stars. Sukiyabashi Jiro is a really tiny establishment, seating just 11 people, the toilet is outside the restaurant and they don't serve appetisers or fanny around with pomp and ceremony. If you are lucky enough to go there, it has a one month waiting list for bookings, you will be served a taster menu of twenty or so different sushi dishes and if you know your sushi then I expect you will be glad to be there because you will be in heaven.
Jiro has an amazing philosophy on life, he believes you should decide your occupation and then immerse yourself in your work. This, in true zen master style, is Jiro's key to an honourable life. He should know, he's been living it for the past seventy something years and is still going strong. Apart from the Queen, he is the best preserved octogenarian I've ever seen.
Jiro dreams about sushi, he repeats the same dish over and over again until he is satisfied with it and you are swept along in this fabulous tale of one man's life work and what it takes to become a genius. He would have you believe that his brilliance is just down to hard work and repetition but I would hazard a guess that Jiro is one of those rare treasures in this world, someone who is doing exactly what he was born to do. He is a sushi genius.
This film is a rare and simple pleasure. Elegantly shot, it offers us not just a glimpse into the world of a Japanese sushi restaurant but a glimpse into the world of someone prepared to do what it takes to be outstanding. The themes of discipline, patience, hard work and passion are hard to swallow is our fast, fast world of instant gratification but satisfying to watch. All children should be made to watch this film before they start thinking about their future careers. I wish I had.