East Side Sushi

source: East Side Sushi

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie from start to finish, and that alone justifies a rating of 10. It should be of interest to all ages. The brief use of sub-titles simply adds to the warm authenticity. Bravo! This was a true surprise. I don't recall seeing any previews before watching the movie. After seeing the movie listed as a new release, I was truly intrigued by the plot. Perhaps this is a "food spoiler": prepare to have your appetite tweaked in all directions as you watch this film. Perhaps the safe plan is to schedule a dining adventure to a sushi or Japanese restaurant shortly after viewing. In any case, the filming of the food was well-done.

I saw this movie with about 7 new friends. I did not expect much. Boy, was I wrong! From the moment this movie started I identified with Juana (myself being a single mother) and how hard it was to move up in the business world. I remember being paid at least 25% less than men doing my same job (and I mean the EXACT same job). This movie is a combination of the Karate Kid, Rocky, and a Cooking Contest. That may be oversimplifying it. Truly inspirational for anyone. Good thing I remembered to grab a handful of Kleenex because I needed at least 3, the girl next to me and the girl next to her. There was even a guy sitting below us who was crying. I liked everything about the film, the location specific aspect of it, the directing, writing, acting, and the excellent cast. Have recommended it to my friends to be on the lookout to watch back in my hometown of New Orleans. Can't wait to go see it again.

Oakland, California is one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the U.S. Over 100 different languages are spoken in the region. In "East Side Sushi", we see two of those cultures collide in the most time honored tradition, over food. Juana Martinez, a single mom, and her father run a fresh fruit cart, a staple in Hispanic street food, that is when they aren't working their other jobs. Urban life has its drawbacks and when Juana gets robbed, she decides a change is needed. She takes a chance and answers a help wanted sign in a Japanese restaurant. She lands the job, discovers the passion of sushi, and sets out to become a sushi chef herself. As a Hispanic woman, this proves to be a more a difficult task than one might presume. "East Side Sushi" is a feel good story, at times hilariously funny, made on a shoestring budget, and as such has no money for advertising campaigns. Relying on word of mouth, it is finally being released in theaters, at least in California. If you like food, particularly Mexican and/or Japanese, if you live in or near Oakland, CA or just like urban themed dramas, or if you like good independent cinema, then I recommend this film. It is not a perfect film, sometimes feeling a little forced and a couple of scenes seem unlikely, but it has great pacing, some wonderful characters, a fun sense of humor and really brings out the beauty of the city across the bay.

I've seen a number of lesser known movies that center on food, and I've liked them all: "Chef" and "Today's Special" are examples. Anthony Lucero's "East Side Sushi" is another addition. Part social realism, focus on sushi preparation, it's fun but also forces the viewer to think. Single mother Juana has to deal with poverty and sexism while working in a sushi bar in the Bay Area. The movie has a few funny scenes - tako vs. taco - but it's mostly serious. It's the sort of movie that might make you want to go out and have some sushi, but also remember that the people serving you are having to work hard to support themselves (and possibly entire families). The cast of unknowns helps to emphasize that there's nothing glamorous or "cute" about this story. These are ordinary people having to deal with real issues. Really good movie.

This movie is all about the story, none about character development. All characters are one dimensional and the story also does not have much content. But here, less is more. Whatever the story, however short, is solid. There are all around awesome performances, weather it is our lead actress Diana or the supporting cast Rodrigo, Yutaka or even Kaya. The background music is a bit off putting and looks like it's been picked up from public domain. It always tries to over dramatize the situation. The movie has some clichés, but they are well put. This is one of those films which fills you with energy, while being far from an action film. Positivity oozes out it every single minute. If you want to watch a moral boosting, feel good movie, I highly recommend you this. But beware, you will end up hungry and craving for sushi till the end of the movie.

A cute movie but would not watch again because it's so predictable. single Latina mother, trying to eke out a living, nasty ppl all pushing her down. still it has a good msg, pointing out the sexism in restaurants. I've worked in restaurants before and there's a lot of discrimination. boring ending though

I really enjoyed this movie and found it very thought provoking. It's not every day that a movie comes out that addresses race, gender inequality, and low-income families. The movie starts a little slow but is totally worth the watch and I would recommend watching this with your daughter and discussing equal pay, gender discrimination, and diversity once it's over. I was a little suspicious that the movie may be too cheesy but it turned out to be a very nice flick. The characters felt very authentic and since I live in Maine it exposed me to some ways of life that I am not familiar with. I also think this would be a great classroom movie that could inspire a lot of great conversations and a discussions.

Stop me if you've heard this before: aspiring chef wants to make it to the top. Sure, we've seen those films. Now stop me if you've heard this one: aspiring Latina wants to become a top sushi chef. Wrong race. Wrong gender. Ambitious goal. Lead actor Diana Elizabeth Torres delivers an outstanding performance as Juana, the barrio fruit cart vendor who aspires to better things. Walking by a sushi restaurant one day, she spies the food and marvels at the look of the food. After all, for sushi the look is as important as the taste and the mouth feel. It's an edible art form unlike the rolled burritos and fried tacos she's used to making. Juana also spies a help-wanted sign in the window of the sushi restaurant and gets a back-kitchen position. However, she dreams of making sushi out in front behind the sushi counter. The movie's story is all about her efforts to get there despite many obstacles at the restaurant and at home. This is a very inspiring film of grit and determination. If it were a western, Juana would be wielding a gun and a Bowie knife. Instead, it's a sushi knife. Do yourself a favor and go see this film. It was filmed in Oakland on a shoestring budget by an indie filmmaking company and writer-director Anthony Lucero but I think it's as good as anything you'll see from Hollywood.

Let me say up front that I loved this movie. Why? It was an engaging story about a woman determined to better herself and her family, who rises not with the help of a protest group or organized movement but by working hard and standing up for herself. This is a character that every young woman in the country should see to help them realize they can stand up for themselves and move forward on their own and no one can stop them if they do. Juana (Diana Elizabeth Torres) is a single mother living with her father and daughter who has dreams of working as a chef. She knows how to cook, she knows what is needed but what she hasn't had is the opportunity to prove herself. Working at a fruit cart she and her father own, she is attacked and robbed one day which sets her off to tell her father that things could be better. Walking by a sushi restaurant she notices a sign in the window saying they are hiring. Talking to the wife of the owner she gets a position at the restaurant working in the back. But she doesn't just accept her role there. She begins watching how things are done and learns more and more each day. She watches the sushi chefs in front to see how things are done. Noticing her watching, head chef Aki (Yutaka Takeuchi) helps her to understand the various intricacies of how things are done. He teaches her how to make the rice they use in a specific way and she practices at home. He does the same with how they cut the fish and how other things are handled. Already owning a chef's knife of her own Aki is stunned with how quick she learns. None of that will come in handy when it comes to talking to the owner of the store, Mr. Yoshida. As old school as they come Mr. Yoshida refuses to allow a woman to work the front line of his restaurant. As far as he is concerned they come her for an authentic sushi experience and there is no place for a woman in that. Knowing she is fully capable this bothers Juana but rather than fight with the owner she continues to work on her skills. As she researches more and more about the history and skills needed to be a top sushi chef Juana discovers a contest for the most skilled sushi chefs in the city. Not only do the contestants need to have top skills they need to create a dish that is their own. As she experiments with different dishes on her family Juana's skill vastly improve to the point that Aki wants to use her more at the restaurant. When Yoshida objects Juana takes matters into her own hands and enters the contest. With only 4 out of the many who will apply her odds aren't likely. When she is selected to compete you find yourself rooting for her to win. But will she? This movie was a joy to watch. What makes it so is a combination of the story, the performances and the emotions tied into the path that Juana takes. Each moment on screen isn't a wasted one, with all of the subtle things we see helping to fill out what could have been a short film but instead is a feature that holds your interest from start to finish. You can't help but root for the underdog here and don't let that term bring to you memories of Rocky Balboa. Juana is her own character and is fully fleshed out with a great performance by Torres, enough that I'm looking forward to seeing her in other roles. To use a culinary phrase to describe this film it refreshes the palate with something quite tasty and sparkling that will leave you hungry for more. This is one I can see myself watching more than once.