RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
This article contains spoilers for the film Still Single.
If you were expecting Still Single to be another documentary about food, you’ll be pleasantly surprised with this behind-the-scenes look into Toronto’s only two-Michelin-star chef’s charismatic personality, which reveals delicious flavours and deep reflections on excellence and loneliness.
Using a mix of spontaneous moments, revealing shots, cooking techniques, and impactful interviews, directors Jamal Burger and Jukan Tateisi brought the audience into a delicious dive through the life of two-Michelin-star chef Masaki Saito with the world premiere of Still Single at TIFF last Friday.
Opening with a shot of the chef making fresh sushi at the beach, the film begins with the culinary star explaining how he chose the kitchen as his stage. Born in Hokkaido, Japan, Saito noticed the power of food to create meaningful and affectionate memories very early in life, and soon decided he wanted to become a sushi chef.
Throughout the documentary, the chef reveals how he came to open his Toronto restaurant Sushi Masaki Saito in Yorkville with co-founder businessman William Cheng, which earned him two Michelin stars in 2022.
Read More
With behind-the-scenes footage of the restaurant’s daily service, food preparation techniques and interviews with staff and providers, the documentary reflects on the high-level of quality and excellence that drive this to be the best sushi restaurant in the country.
The chef often reflects on the importance of the quality of ingredients, knowing how to properly prepare different fish and even ensuring that the sushi is at the perfect temperature when served. Saito makes it clear that pleasing the majority of the customers is never enough, and what matters is to reach the 100 per cent mark.
To achieve these goals, the chef appears to have extremely high standards for him and his team, often leaving staff feeling intimidated and even scared of him, expecting excellence in every single preparation and technique. At some point during the movie, Saito even reveals he is far from satisfied with his performance, saying that he dreams of having staff that knows what to do without needing instructions, which he believes could lead them into the highly-craved third star.
But more than showing a rigorous chef who aspires for perfection, what makes Still Single an outstanding production is a deep dive into Saito’s strong personality beyond the kitchen.
The documentary’s name is based on a moment during the 2022 Michelin star ceremony, the very first held in Toronto. At the time, Saito took the stage to accept his two stars and as part of his acceptance speech, he boldly stated: “I’m still single, I don’t know why.”
At first glance, the moment might seem like one of the chef’s many light jokes and charismatic takes made to get a laugh from the audience, but as the movie goes on, it reveals to have a much deeper meaning.
Although the chef might seem rigorous and cold when speaking with staff during service, with many employees seeming fearful of him, Saito appears to have a very sweet and charismatic personality throughout the film.
With brutally honest takes, funny jokes, and even a heartfelt karaoke session performing the Titanic classic My Heart Will Go On, the chef appears to be always smiling or making others laugh. But as the film goes on, his extroverted nature is revealed to not be enough to hold long-term relationships.
Amidst many hot takes, Saito reveals difficulties in carrying long-term affection with friends and even family. While visiting his family in Japan, he casually reveals that he doesn’t like his sister or her family, and doesn’t care about maintaining contact with her. Similarly, he says that after experiences with different women, and even one relationship that left him heartbroken, he ends up not moving on with relationships over boredom.
“I think I’m incapable of loving other people,” he tells the camera at some point.
One of the most emotional moments in the film is when his 20-year best friend Yasu, who grew up with him like a brother, suddenly disappears from his life and breaks contact. Although Saito doesn’t necessarily dive deep into the loss, it is visible to those around him that the loss left consequences.
Although the chef is viewed by many as a culinary superstar, who is always drinking, partying, impressing others with his skills and cheering up those around him with his charismatic personality, at his core, he appears to also be navigating an isolating loneliness (although he doesn’t admit that). This reality gives a totally different meaning to the name of the film, which makes the audience catch themselves smiling and feeling sad at the same time.
Overall, I found the documentary a great way to learn more about the mind behind one of Canada’s greatest chefs. Across a mix of artistic and spontaneous footage and revealing interviews with various people surrounding him, the documentary did an outstanding job at showcasing more than a regular biography, diving deep into themes that really provoked thought and reflection.
At the same time, the constant back-and-forth between themes and voices made the film a bit confusing at times. This is the only reason why, in my opinion, the film falls just short of a five-star rating, getting a well-deserved four stars.
DIRECTORS COMMENT ON FILM
After the film’s premiere, the audience also had the opportunity to hear from Saito and the filmmakers themselves, as they took to the stage for a Q&A.
According to Burger, one of the most important points for making the film was to establish trust with Saito, his family and staff, a process that began long before filming.
“We just spent time with Saito and his family, just getting to know them, to let them know that there’s humans behind this project, and we are genuinely interested in learning about how his life worked,” he said.
Meanwhile, Tateisi revealed that it was surprising for him to meet Saito beyond the kitchen and understand who he is as a person.
“As you saw, he’s such a great entertainer, but it’s always like that, like one hundred per cent, no matter what, in front of the camera or not. But [at] the same time, once he’s in the kitchen, or once he’s in the social market, wherever, then he became such a great chef, that was something amazing.”
Saito, who used a translator to respond to a few questions after the movie, said that while he might have seemed comfortable during filming, he was never fully accustomed to having cameras following him around.
While discussing the film’s deep feel that makes it completely different from other food documentaries, Burger revealed there was a mix of thoughts over how to mix filming techniques and storytelling.
“I think we wanted to find some version of a balance where we were there for what was happening, but with [Tateisi’s] strength and conceptual thought process and art, and my background in photography, ‘How can we create visuals that emphasize certain points throughout the film?’ And that became a super collaborative process, and sometimes annoying for Saito, but hopefully it worked in some way,” he said.
The Still Single screening was also accompanied by a 60-foot sushi bar pop-up, which took over King St. right in front of TIFF Lightbox, where festival-goers were able to taste sample dishes made right in front of them by some talented chefs.
Read More
Among an enthusiastic audience of cinephiles amazed by the documentary was also Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow, who caught the last few moments of the screening.
After briefly meeting with Saito right outside of the theatre, the mayor told Now Toronto that Saito’s story could be an inspiration for many starting chefs in the city.
“Being able to create the best food as an art form is [about] not just the taste, [but] the love, the beauty of it, the smell, the temperature, the presentation. And the master chef obviously was able to accomplish it. So, we’re very, very honored to have him in Toronto,” she said.
