For most of my youth, until I discovered the vanguard, documentaries like Nobu are what I thought of when I thought of "documentaries". A favourable (or unfavourable!), usually biased, look at a public figure. I'd often expect names to be dropped, and famous moments to be gratuitously mentioned, and, as a youth, this fascinated and inspired me. As I grew older and films like these felt more like advertisements than documentaries, my taste for them waned.
The entire film feels incredibly unbalanced – and that's where knowing the goal of the film saves us from dashed expectations, and this documentary does have a goal - lionise Nobu Matsuhisa to the unaware, and mythologise him for those who eat at his restaurants.
There are brilliant things to learn about Nobu Matsuhisa in this documentary, especially if you only know his name in relation to Nobu, the restaurant brand, that looms notoriously over the zeitgeist, and is offhandedly mentioned as a signifier of wealth in many a modern media franchise. His work ethic is clear, and his standards are high. However, do not come to this documentary expecting a critical or invasive eye. This film is more of an asset to the brand than a piece of interrogative media.
Also, there is an overarching orientalism at play – one that Matsuhisa is not shy to play into. This is the game of personal branding, and one might argue that he has manipulated the international orientalist opinion of Japan and the Japanese to his own personal benefit, which I cannot deny nor get truly mad at.
The brand and ideology he has crafted have indeed had a massive impact on a sector of the Restaurant industry — one influenced by wealth and fame, and those who chase it. One must also remember that restaurants are both a risky and deeply expensive endeavour (see: The Bear, Seasons All), and that to survive is both a stroke of complete luck and something very few chefs will ever feel fully secure in. To hunker down into a clear, if flattening, brand identity and scale it through franchising is a unique feat. To play for wealth and fame is to play the game as it has been dealt, with the goal of survival.
I can't say that this approach, and therefore the story in general, appeals to me or my values. I feel that who you work with and for is just as important as the work itself. In the same way, Documentary has the power to dive deeper into more interrogative work – Nobu, unfortunately, doesn't achieve this. Regardless, I appreciated having this newer context of both the man and the myth – and the lil cameo from Robert De Niro. I learned a lot of new things about how and with whom the man works.
Nobu will be available on Digital Download from 18th May
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