Ants on a Shrimp (2016)

Ants on a Shrimp: Directed by Maurice Dekkers. With Thomas Frebel, Dan Giusti, Kim Mikkola, Rene Redzepi. One of the world’s best restaurant, the Copenhagen based NOMA and its renowned chef-owner René Redzepi relocate the restaurant and its entire staff to Tokyo.

“Greetings again from the darkness. One need not be a true foodie to be aware of the rise in popularity of the bombastic, egotistical chefs splattered all over TV as they strive for ratings by out-yelling the competition. Less accessible to the general population – due to cost and/or locale – is the highest level of fine dining that is a cult unto itself. One of the most successful elite restaurants is Noma based in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was named u0026quot;Best in the worldu0026quot; for four out of five years (2010-2014), and yet the owner/chef remains unsatisfied.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eLast year, filmmaker Pierre Deschamps provided a profile of Rene Redzepi and his world class restaurant in the film Noma My Perfect Storm. This time, filmmaker Maurice Dekkers takes a different approach. He follows Redzepi and his senior staff as they temporarily relocate Noma to Tokyo in a risky and difficult project.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eMuch more than a glimpse into a restaurant kitchen, this is an examination of collaborative artistry. Redzepi and his dedicated, enthusiastic team (Lars, Thomas, Rosio, Dan, Kim) strive for perfection in something that canu0026#39;t be measured. Itu0026#39;s internal pressure and tension within a creative environment … something only the most internally driven can comprehend.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe structure of the film is the countdown to the opening of Tokyo restaurant. All 3000 available reservations for the 6 weeks are sold out, and the waiting list numbers more than 58,000. The team is committed to leaving behind their pure Nordic cuisine and discovering locally sourced new ingredients … a mission that finds them scavenging Nagano Forest and co-mingling with fish experts at market.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eFood is the centerpiece here as the team learns turtle is a local delicacy; they gain respect for Japanese fruit culture that dates back thousands of years; and even tries deep fried fish sperm as a possible offering. But beyond the food, this is about a group stepping outside their comfort zone and trying to find their u0026quot;voiceu0026quot; – despite a firm belief that nothing is ever quite good enough … a sentiment their customers donu0026#39;t agree with.”