The Birth of Saké
Directed by Erik Shirai
Through the unrelenting winter in the north of Japan, a small group of workers must brave unusual working conditions to bring to life a 2,000-year-old tradition known as sake. A cinematic documentary, The Birth of Sake is a visually immersive experience of an almost-secret world in which large sacrifices must be made for the survival of a time-honored brew.
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Reviews
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★★★½ review by Mike D'Angelo on Letterboxd
64/100
The power of cinema: I'm not a foodie, not a drinker, couldn't care less about this subject matter...and yet was fascinated. That's mostly thanks to the film's aggressively process-oriented approach—virtually any endeavor depicted in such minute detail would be compelling to me, I suspect—but first-time director Erik Shirai also just has a terrific eye, both for on-the-fly imagery and for studied interstitial compositions à la Ozu. Was initially concerned when workers started to be individualized, as that seemed more conventional, less Geyrhalter-ish; once it became clear that traditional saké-making is seasonal, however, and that everyone lives communally in the brewery for seven months annually, those relationships essentially become part of the machinery. (Shirai also deserves credit for not heavily foreshadowing one sad event, instead choosing to provide a poignant montage after the fact.) At this writing, you can stream The Birth of Saké on Netflix—give it ten minutes and see if you can turn it off. I fully expected to and didn't.
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★★★★ review by MrSneakyMan on Letterboxd
A documentary that details one of the few remaining breweries in Japan that brews sake in the traditional, labor-intensive process. The workers must work round the clock for 6 months. Their days start at 5am and can go late into the night. They must live on-site in a communal setting. Away from families and loved ones, they form a strong sense of kinship with each other.
Erik Shirai's lens focuses on the picturesque qualities of the brewing process. His editing is confidant and controlled. The result is a captivating, beautiful and touching film.
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★★★★ review by James Reynov on Letterboxd
I’m going to miss the hell out of Japan, and it’s truly because of the people. I’ve met so many generous, disciplined, wise, humble, kind, and patient people here, I’ve really learned so much from them and feel like I’ve grown from my interactions here, many of which I’ll never forget. So it’s just fitting for my last night to watch this doc of my favorite alcoholic beverage made by people I respect a lot. It’s a wonderfully immersive doc and you find yourself getting so much pleasure from the workers interactions, and how insane the whole sake brewing process is, there’s a lot to take out of this doc and enjoy.
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★★★★★ review by Ruksana 🍂 on Letterboxd
The Birth of Saké is so hypnotic, so concerned with the visual poetry of craft and labor, that I was a little surprised it didn't come from the Sensory Ethnographic Lab. What's not a surprise is that director Erik Shirai, whose eye I will now follow with interest, is a ridiculously talented painter.
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★★★★½ review by digital_wood on Letterboxd
A quiet, contemplative, respectful film. Beautiful cinematography, tasty grain. Surprisingly emotional in a totally organic way. Worth it for the bathtub scene alone.
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