Ramen Shop (2018) review

Devastated by the loss of both of his parents at relatively young ages, apprentice chef Masato (Takumi Saitoh), living in Japan, returns to his mother's homeland of Singapore to reconnect with his uncle and grandmother (who still harbors a grudge that her daughter married a Japanese man) and learn about some old tasty recipes to take back home with him and serve at the family ramen eatery.  The 'flashbacks' involving Masato's parents are done in this idyllic manner (they do everything but sparkle) that's hard to take, and the entire Getting In Touch With One's Roots plot is about as banal as it gets.  It's a feature-length film that's really just an excuse to show off some delicious dishes in close-up: it doubles as food porn and an advertisement for The Lion City.  Enjoy the cuisine, but keep the drugs far away.