Ramen Teh
家族のレシピ
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Masato is a young ramen chef in the city of Takasaki in Japan. After the sudden death of his emotionally distant father, he chances upon a suitcase of memorabilia and a red notebook – filled with musings and old photos – left behind by his Singaporean mother who died when he was just ten years old. Acting on a hunch, he takes off for Singapore with the notebook, hoping to piece together the story of his life, as well as that of his parents. There he meets Miki, a Japanese food blogger and single mother who helps him track down his maternal uncle Ah Wee, who runs a bak kut teh stall. Masato discovers that his grandmother Madam Lee is still alive, and that she holds the key to the tender yet turbulent love story of his parents. Masato and his grandmother try to heal each other’s broken soul, and find salvation in the kitchen where the meals they cook become more than the sum of their ingredients. (Berlinale)
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A postcard for people who lust after food porn. At the same time, the film idealises food in such a way that it can impress you with the detail of pork ribs and convince you that a soup prepared with love can bridge the gaps between cultures, nations and generations. The characters’ very kitschy, sentimental and psychological motives make for extremely simplistic, yet essentially pleasant pop – though perhaps a bit too pleasant, given the seriousness of the topic (Singaporeans’ hatred towards the Japanese because of the atrocities committed during the war). 55%
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My first Singaporean film and it got me by how it portrays relationships and by one bowl of well-prepared Japanese ramen. And by ramen I really mean the famous Singaporean dish of pork noodles. I must add that the film as well as ramen are both extraordinary. There is a visible Japanese influence so you have to accept that there are plenty of scenes where emotions and feeling are expressed in a masochistic and depressing way… but overall, it is still a very nice and heartwarming movie.
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