The New York Times by Andy Webster
[A] crisp if feather-light documentary.
Japan, United States · 2015
1h 35m
Director Mirai Konishi
Starring
Genre Documentary
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A British sake brewer, an American journalist, and a young president of a centuryold sake brewery in Japan join together to explore the mysterious world of sake, or Japanese rice wine. The film illustrates how these unique individuals who have been fascinated with this extraordinary beverage of Japanese origin meet the challenges of the current sake industry, investigating the rich, complex, and spectacular world of sake.
The New York Times by Andy Webster
[A] crisp if feather-light documentary.
The Hollywood Reporter by Frank Scheck
Unfortunately, Kampai! For the Love of Sake is more cheerleading than informative, concentrating largely on personality profiles of three figures—two of them Westerners--obsessed with the Japanese rice wine.
Los Angeles Times by Michael Rechtshaffen
Kampai! For the Love of Sake serves as an occasionally enlightening if long-winded primer that will prove best suited to connoisseurs.
“Kampai!” is scattered and rudderless, though the film’s biggest letdown is that it barely whets your whistle for a taste of sake. It might have been made “for the love,” but by the end the movie has squandered it.
Kampai! feels like a manic ensemble drama that should have been a tight three-man show.
Mirai Konishi's documentary inevitably reveals itself to be an elaborate infomercial for Westerners.
A disgraced journalist is trying to salvage her career, when she stumbles upon a mysterious monolith.