Imbued with an unflinching sense of camaraderie and charismatic warmth, “The Chef of South Polar” is a slow-moving piece of cinema which unravels carefully yet humorously. It shows all sides of its ensemble over the course of a hefty two hour adaptation of Jun Nishimura autobiographies, and leaves plenty of room for aimless hysterics too.
“The Chef of South Polar” is screening at Japan Society
Central to the plot is the role of Jun Nishimura (Masato Sakai), a chef enlisted to join a crew in Antarctica after the original choice is involved in a collision. Whilst there, he is exposed to a wide array of characters, some sane, some anything but, all while tasked with the thankless job of cooking for a team of people whose demands persist in spite of the low temperature and limited ingredients. Nevertheless, Nishimura throws himself into his work, and mealtimes become a source of tight-knit bonding for the eclectic group.
When in full stride, Shuichi Okita directs a film which seamlessly captures a variety of emotional angles, pumping his narrative with humour and well timed moments of poignance. Each member of the ensemble has their own unique colour, blending seamlessly to create a crew wholly endearing amidst their oddball chemistry. Some scenes do suffer from being overlong, and there is a feeling that the release as a whole could have been trimmed, but there is no denying its wide-ranging appeal, nor the succession in its endeavour to ensure audiences have an enjoyable time.
To that extent, it is Masato Sakai, who assumes the part of omniscient narrator as well as Jun Nishimura, who stands out the most. He is a consummate everyman figure, with little fanfare about his appearance and skills, and a friendly companion to those on the expedition. Everyone else is fairly skilled with their depictions too, but this is an effort less focused on acting, and more around the idea of how food can draw people together in times of strife.
Continuing, Akiko Ashizawa does a solid enough job in the cinematography department, with the scenes of food appetisingly placed, and the gritty feel of the Antarctic residence emphasised with its lack of space and subtle dirtiness. There is nothing too overblown on show, keeping things to a respectfully subtle degree instead.
Overall, “The Chef of South Polar” is an endearing look at an Antarctic expedition with a humorous lens. It may be far from anything touching the realms of a classic, but it works with its limited scope with a grounded flair.
