East Side Sushi (2014) Reviews

• I love film like this, as they are about REAL people with real problems.

  MartinHafer2015-08-20

  I noticed some time ago that some of my very favorite films are about food--perhaps it's because I love to cook. Off the top of my head, I can quickly think of some real classic foodie movies, such as "Babette's Feast", "Mostly Martha", "The Big Night" and "The Hundred-Foot Journey". I might want to a new film to this list-- "East Side Sushi". Unfortunately, this film is not yet scheduled for a nation-wide release, but there are going to be some limited engagements in California theaters starting September 18th--most likely because the audiences there have a large concentration of Hispanic-Americans (and the leading character is a Mexican- American). I sure hope it comes to other markets, as this film by Anthony Lucero is a little gem. Juana (Diana Elizabeth Torres) is a brilliant cook. But she and her father are struggling to raise her daughter. Their pay is meager and her job selling fruit on the streets has become rather dangerous. On a lark, she decides to go to work at a local Japanese restaurant instead of doing her usual Mexican-style cooking. Here at the restaurant, she does a lot of the prep-work--and the sushi chefs do the actual sushi work. But she is fascinated by their work and soon realizes that sushi is delicious...and so, with only a little bit of help to get her started, she teaches herself how to make sushi. After a year of practice on her family, Juana is quite accomplished and is ready to make the leap in the restaurant from prep work to sushi...but there is a problem. Mexican-Americans do NOT work in sushi bars and everyone KNOWS that only Japanese men can excel in this art..right?! Well, Juana is determined...and conventional wisdom may not be right after all. So why did I like this film so much? Well, the biggest reason is that the film is about people. Because of the wonderful performances and nice direction, you can believe that Juana is a real person--not just a plot device. You feel for her, you see her struggle, you like her and want her to succeed. I like movies about people and their everyday lives--and this one really works for me. I also appreciate that many times I expected things to happen one way in the movie but the writer (also Lucero) chose to avoid these clichés and formula--so it kept me guessing. Overall, this is a lovely little film--one that left me a bit hungry for more.

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• Hard to see how this fresh take on the chef/food genre could be done better

  steven-leibson2015-09-19

  Stop me if you've heard this before: aspiring chef wants to make it to the top. Sure, we've seen those films. Now stop me if you've heard this one: aspiring Latina wants to become a top sushi chef. Wrong race. Wrong gender. Ambitious goal. Lead actor Diana Elizabeth Torres delivers an outstanding performance as Juana, the barrio fruit cart vendor who aspires to better things. Walking by a sushi restaurant one day, she spies the food and marvels at the look of the food. After all, for sushi the look is as important as the taste and the mouth feel. It's an edible art form unlike the rolled burritos and fried tacos she's used to making. Juana also spies a help-wanted sign in the window of the sushi restaurant and gets a back-kitchen position. However, she dreams of making sushi out in front behind the sushi counter. The movie's story is all about her efforts to get there despite many obstacles at the restaurant and at home. This is a very inspiring film of grit and determination. If it were a western, Juana would be wielding a gun and a Bowie knife. Instead, it's a sushi knife. Do yourself a favor and go see this film. It was filmed in Oakland on a shoestring budget by an indie filmmaking company and writer-director Anthony Lucero but I think it's as good as anything you'll see from Hollywood.

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• Exceptional Work in Entrenched World...

  sacredridgejc2015-01-09

  I approached screen time with cynicism. "What can this movie show me that I don't already know?" The answers came quickly and sustained me with sublime surprises. Flawless acting that is displayed with an authentic, non-acting-documentary-predisposed delivery. It's a gem that permeated into every character. I could not pinpoint a weak performance... Framed in a thematically predictable outcome, the film delicately balances the contrite notions of gender, culture and ambition with refreshing human authenticity that ultimately defines its redeeming value.

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• Everything about this movie was great!

  ninewives2015-09-20

  This was a completely enjoyable movie. The script was well written, the acting was superb, and the cinematography was great. Even the sound, which sometimes suffers outside of Hollywood, was perfect. My only complaint is that I am not a fan of hand-held camera, but I understand that it is a legitimate technique, and it actually pulled me in during one scene, which is unusual. One of my favorite parts about this movie is that the "moral" is a little ambiguous and isn't hammered home. Hollywood movies are always so black-and-white with good guys and bad guys, which is nothing like real life. East Side Sushi is much more subtle and realistic about themes like racism, gender bias, and social class. It is very refreshing. I ended up discussing this movie for hours afterwards, and recalling some of the great scenes, which is unusual and definitely the sign of great filmmaking. I very highly recommend East Side Sushi!

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• Best movie I've seen all year!

  jessica_lewis-207-9001912015-01-08

  Love the uniqueness of the story... I mean how many non-male, non-Japanese sushi chefs do you see? I loved that the lead is a very strong female (Hispanic!) character (all too rare these days). Wonderful acting, writing, editing, directing. Beautiful sushi and watching it being made was fascinating. This film brought tears to my eyes many times and I left the theater wanting a sushi dinner! Definitely the best movie I've seen all year... actually I've seen it twice and can't wait to see it again! Brought friends the second time I saw it who all felt the same :) I can't wait to see this movie again.

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