swedeandsour
I'm not a huge Sriracha fan myself - I just like the sauce, not love it, and I certainly don't have any Sriracha tattoos or anything of that sort. But this was a good documentary.It was the perfect length, not too short and miss out on certain things and not too long and meandering. It really covers a lot of things - the production, the business, the origins, the history of the producer, the fandom, the history of Vietnam, the controversy of its true origin, etc. taking you from sushi kitchens to Thailand, from farms to college campuses. It is quick and to the point, but still has a sense of a travel documentary. It's entertaining, funny and informative. A must-watch for anyone interested in the sauce, the business or culinary culture.
Horst in Translation ([email protected])
"Sriracha" is a 35-minute documentary from 3 years ago and the first film by Griffin Hammond as director and second film as writer according to his IMDb filmography. I must say I had no idea what Sriracha was before seeing this film and I certainly have never tasted it before or seen it. i guess it hasn't made its way to Germany yet. But watching this documentary, I certainly got curious about it. It sounds delicious and Hammond managed to turn this into an interesting documentary that has a touch of travel documentary to it as well because of the regional backgrounds of Sriracha. Yet he never lost the focus on what this film is about: the sauce. I cannot say this was a truly great watch, but I guess it's as good as it gets for a short film documentary about a dish. I recommend checking it out. Thumbs up.
lvzee
Sriracha is a cheap, not very hot, slightly sweet sauce. The movie would have you believe it's great when in reality even Tobasco is better. And neither of them are particularly hot. Dave's sauces or After Death Sauce (it brings you back to life) are really hot. I would list better documentaries, but then I'd be up all night. The only difference between this film and a commercial is that a commercial only lasts a minute or less. Of course, I'm probably prejudiced against the sauce and any movie that focuses on cooking or recipes. At a minimum this doc could have used some contrasting opinions, other points of view or a little depth about the rags to riches life of the man who commercialized this stuff.
Matt Shivers
Sriracha is a remarkable story of a fiercely loved product, the man behind the most famous version of the sauce and the culture that surrounds it. You don't have to be a fan of spicy sauce to enjoy this film. Sriracha is beautifully shot and masterfully told. Director Griffin Hammond reveals the story behind the sauce and shares the journey of the man behind the rooster, David Tran.Hammond's overwhelmingly successful Kickstarter campaign ($21,000 raised, $5,000 asked for) allowed him to add certain elements to the film that provide a greater depth to the narrative. He was able to travel to Si Racha, Thailand to get a first-hand look at Thai culture and where this iconic sauce originated. Hammond also acquired old news footage of the Panamanian freighter (and company namesake) Huy Fong that carried David Tran from Vietnam to Hong Kong.One thing you won't find in this film is any mention of the controversy surrounding the Huy Fong Foods factory and the city of Irwindale, CA where the hot sauce is made. According to Hammond, the complaints sprung up as he was completing the editing process. However, depending on where the story goes, Hammond has not yet ruled out an epilogue.