Eric Khoo's latest film is a celebration of Singapore and Japan's culture and cuisine and of the ties that bind us together through generations. Masato lives under the dark cloud of his unhappy father as they work side by side in the family ramen shop in East Japan. But after his father's sudden death, he decides to follow his passion for food to his childhood home of Singapore. Slowly uncovering the flavors of his mother's cooking that's been locked away in his memory, he decides to track down his mother's family, opening a door to a painful chapter in his family's history that has long been shut. Outfitted with charming performances from a cast of characters including Masato's uncle Wee (Mark Lee), food blogger Miki (80's Japanese pop idol Seiko Matsuda) and Masato's long-lost grandmother (played by Jacqueline Aw), Ramen Shop ties together the love of good food with the importance of heritage and healing familial bonds.
Director Biography
Eric Khoo is a Singaporean filmmaker known for numerous award-winning films and hailed as the revivor of the Singaporean film industry. Khoo is lauded for his diverse filmography, with multiple features, including the animated film Tatsumi (11), earning official entries to the Academy Awards.
Press
"It is saved by its underlying theme of forgiveness and reconciliation between long-estranged family members, for whom the cruel memory of the Japanese invasion and occupation of Singapore during World War 2 is still alive." - Hollywood Reporter