The Birth of Saké

One needn't be a drinker, or particularly interested in Japanese culture, to be fascinated by this documentary portrait of the Tedorigawa Brewery, which was founded nearly 150 years ago and is one of the last remaining breweries that makes sak by hand.

"The Birth of Sake" is an engrossing introduction to the traditional cultivation of the rice-based alcohol that is part of Japan's cultural heritage. But the film's true focus is an endangered way of life.

Shirai doesn't answer a major question that viewers of his impressionistic slice of work-life doc The Birth of Sak are bound to wonder: Why does the Tedorigawa Brewery's arduous, old-fashioned fermentation process make its sake superior?

WARNING: if you love the very special beverage called sak, your mouth will be watering throughout this doc's mesmerizing 94-minute running time.