Ramen Shop

A sentimental, somewhat melancholy drama, Ramen Shop illustrates how food can be a through-line in a family history that is marked by multiple generational tragedies. Masato (Takumi Saito) is a young man working in the ramen restaurant of his emotionally distant Japanese father, Kazuo (Tsuyoshi Ihari). Recalling the glorious days of his childhood, Masato is haunted by the years-ago collapse of his loving world when his Singaporean mother, Mei Lian (Jeanette Aw), died and his father sent him away. After the sudden death of Kazuo, Masato travels to Singapore in search of answers about his parents’ relationship, why his grandmother disowned Mei Lian, and (crucially) the secret to an old family recipe for pork rib soup. Along the way, Masato’s food-blogger companion in Singapore introduces him to amazing dishes that director Eric Khoo mouthwateringly films. Although it also touches on the history of Japan’s brutal occupation of Singapore during World War II, Ramen Shop is mostly a gentle movie about redemption and good cooking. Recommended. (T. Keogh)