“What better way to bring nations together than over a steaming plate of delicious chow?”—Deborah Young, The Hollywood Reporter
Dedicated to 50 years of Japan-Singapore diplomatic relations, Ramen Shop is a tender story of family healing without shying away from the political histories tremoring within Singapore’s multi-ethnic fabric. Ramen Shop’s bowl of soup turns into a restorative time machine, bringing reconciliation between the living and the dead with deliciously unimagined possibilities for the future.
Masato is obsessed with soup, specifically his deceased mother’s bak kuh teh, a Singaporean pork rib “bone tea” originated by Chinese workers. By day, he works in Japan at a famed ramen shop for his emotionally distant father. By night, he works with a blogger who ships him rare spices as accomplice, he endlessly tries and fails to conjure the indelible flavor of his memories. When his father dies, a hidden suitcase with his mother’s journal and a message for her son sends Masato flying to Singapore to study bak kuh teh at the source, where he discovers a hostile grandmother, forbidden love, and family rifts simmering in the broth. 2018, Singapore/Japan/France, DCP, in Japanese, English, Mandarin, and Cantonese with English subtitles, 90 minutes. Recommended for 13+.