Director John Daschbach takes us on an inside look at Masamoto “Master” Ueda’s ramen shop in Tokyo, as we are shown one year in the life of the shop and the aging owners. We learn that Masamoto was a directionless teenager, more interested in partying, gambling on baseball and associating with low level gangsters than he was with his wife that he married straight out of high school and their newborn child.
Master, as his customers like to call him, didn’t go to culinary school and didn’t apprentice under another ramen chef. Instead his parents had an old unused restaurant and he decided that in order to get his life on the right track, he should start up his own business. Fatty, rich ramen broth with thick cuts of meat were all the rage, but for Master he decided to try something different, a little more old school. His broth was made from soy, making the liquid delicate and unique. For his chashu pork, he used boneless ribs where the fat more easily melted into the soup. His version of ramen was often compared to street vendors who would walk up and down streets late at night offering a low cost meal where customers would bring their own bowls.
It didn’t take long for his shop, Bizentei, to gain a following. We are introduced to customers who literally come all the time like it is an episode of Cheers. After work they stop by the shop for some sake or beer and a bowl of ramen and a side of gyoza dumplings. Going to the shop is as much about having dinner as it is for the company. While we don’t see Masamoto talking a lot to the customers, they all rave about his ability to be a friend and listener.
There is no central conflict to this movie. We watch Masamoto receive his ingredients, make his stock daily, and tell the history of his shop and family. He isn’t about to be foreclosed and he isn’t winning a prestigious award. He is getting older and has refused to teach his recipes to anyone other than his wife Kazuko, who seems mostly content making dumplings and being a rock for him as he has mellowed out with age. He is aware that when he closes shop, his recipes go with him. Customers who are interviewed get choked up describing the sadness they will feel when that occurs, but understanding that he owes nothing to them.
The shop isn’t just a tiny hole in the wall joint, but a community center as well. Masamoto enlists his customers to help him tend his garden plot outside the city, or go on adventures picking wild mountain yams and bamboo roots, and in return he also helps his customers trading his time helping pick pears to get some for free. Often when Master goes on one of his farming adventures, he makes something unique for his family, but then brings it in to share with his regulars.
The film has a jaunty jazz score that is as playful as Masamoto is, delighting in his high spirits and dedication to his job. Much like Masamoto’s life, the food is the real star. We get glorious shots of noodles being mixed in with broth as customers slurp the soup up and dumplings sizzling on a griddle. This is the gentle kind of documentary that you put on when you are looking for something low stakes, but will leave you feeling nourished, and extremely hungry.
Come Back Anytime was seen during the 2021 Hot Docs Festival. Thank you to the festival and V Kelly & Associates for the screener. Come Back Anytime currently has no wide North American release date.
