Ramen Heads
RAMEN HEADS, documentary, not rated, in English; Center for Contemporary Arts;
3 chiles
If the Japanese invented the concept of umami — savoriness — they also invented the dish designed to most embody it: ramen, steaming bowls of wheat noodles in umami-heavy broth, often served with slices of pork, bamboo shoots, or marinated eggs. Ramen is growing in popularity across the country, with noodle joints popping up like mushrooms all over urban areas. But those who have only met ramen in its ubiquitous “instant” variety may be surprised to discover the vast variety of ramen types to be found in the hole-in-the-wall restaurants where it is often served. There’s tonkotsu ramen with pork bone broth, miso ramen made with soy-based miso paste, and tsukemen ramen (dipping ramen), for which the noodles and broth are served separately, for example. Director Koki Shigeno’s film Ramen Heads is an unqualified love letter to all types of ramen, devoted entirely to extolling its virtues, digging into its intricacies, and introducing audiences to the many faces of both the dish and its creators.
The main thread of Ramen Heads is devoted to peering behind the counter of ramen chef Osamu Tomita, widely known in Japan as a frequent winner of “Best Ramen of the Year,” whose tiny 10-seat shop in the town of Matsudo attracts ravenous ramen enthusiasts in lines that snake around the block. His ramen is the very definition of artisanal, his noodles pulled from a seasoned blend of four different local flours, his daily broth a proprietary amalgamation of several different house-made broths of various ages and viscosities, blended by hand, to taste, every day. This ramen is far from instant, and the obsessive care with which he selects the types of dried fish to use in just one of those broths is endearing.
Watching people make out with their bowls of ramen, intercut with slow-motion close-up shots of dripping noodles, turns the film into (intentionally?) hilarious and unabashed food porn. The pacing is a bit on the slow side — Ramen Heads could be a half-hour shorter, and some of the man-on-the-street interviews feel like filler designed to help the film hit some predetermined running time. But if you’re a true enthusiast, this granular foray into that most slurpable of comfort foods is both fun to watch and gastronomically illuminating. And if you were a fan before, discovering how much more there is to try in the world of ramen will have you out of your seat and heading to the closest noodle joint you can find.