Ramen Shop

"When food is love…"

2018 1h 30m JA

👍

6.8

SOLID

🍅

86%

FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

6.8

IMDB

★6.8TMDB · 121🍅86%Rotten Tomatoes●62Metacritic★6.8IMDB · 2,421

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Masato is a young ramen chef in Japan. When he finds his late mother's journal after the sudden death of his emotionally distant father, he takes it with him to her native country, Singapore, hoping to piece together the story of his family and his life.

“When food is love…”

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Cast

Takumi Saitoh
Masato
Seiko Matsuda
Miki
Jeanette Aw
Mei Lian
Tsuyoshi Ihara
Kazuo
Mark Lee
Ah Wee
Tetsuya Bessho
Uncle Akio
Beatrice Chien
Madam Lee
Gisele Chiam
Ah Wee's Younger Daughter

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Eric Khoo
Writers: Tan Fong Cheng, Wong Kim Hoh
Languages: Cantonese, Malay, Mandarin, Japanese, English
Countries: France, Japan, Singapore

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

90 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 8 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 5 languages: Cantonese, Malay, Mandarin, Japanese, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: France, Japan, Singapore.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Eric Khoo, shot by Brian Gothong Tan. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Christine Sham. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Natalie Soh shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Eric Khoo directs. Brian Gothong Tan behind the camera. Christine Sham scores. Natalie Soh cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in France, Japan, Singapore. Dialogue in Cantonese, Malay, Mandarin, Japanese, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

190 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Released 8 years ago.
3Dialogue crosses 5 languages: Cantonese, Malay, Mandarin, Japanese, English.
4International production across 3 countries: France, Japan, Singapore.
5Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
6Directed by Eric Khoo, shot by Brian Gothong Tan. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by Christine Sham. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor Natalie Soh shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Takumi Saitoh and Seiko Matsuda and Jeanette Aw carry the top of the cast.
10Marketing tagline: "When food is love…".
11IMDB entry: tt6720618 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
12Classified under 14 themes, including "japan", "singapore", "cooking", "restaurant".
13Released under 13 different titles around the world.