Tampopo

I ate right before and I'm still hungry! Seriously, I always have to get ramen before I watch this movie, but then I start it and see what they're eating and the care they take to eat it, and I'm instantly wanting more. I want to live in a world where food is life, I hope Japan lives up to my expectations. Everyone in this movie cares so deeply about food, from the ultra wealthy to the homeless gang talking about decanting a 1980 Bordeaux. This movie has me cackling throughout, it's absolutely hilarious. It does a great job balancing the central plotline, with the vignettes of people's relationships with food around the city. I particularly love the old lady that wants to squeeze everything in the grocery store, it absolutely kills me. Paige pointed out to me how this movie breaks down how cyclical this film is; food is life and life is to eat food. At the beginning of the film, the old man eating ramen says to the pork "until we meet again" and near the end there is a death near a statue of a pig while the man is talking about eating pork, implying that they are going to the same place. While this movie deals with death and meat in slightly brutal ways sometimes, it is always extremely respectful. I get more and more out of this every watch. Such a beautiful film.