MINARI
****
Director: Lee Isaac Chung
Screenplay: Lee Isaac Chung
Principal cast:
Steven Yeun
Yeri Han
Alan Kim
Noel Kate Cho
Yuh-jung Youn
Will Patton
Country: USA
Classification: PG
Runtime: 115 mins.
Australian release date: 18 February 2021.
Set in the 1980s during the Reagan presidency, Minari is a semi-autobiographical story about a seminal period in the life of Korean-American writer/director Lee Isaac Chung. It is a family drama that shows the difficulties people often encounter when they move to another region, following the American dream of making a fresh start. In this case, Jacob (Steven Yeun,) the patriarch of the Yi family, decides to relocate from urban California to rural Arkansas. When he is asked why he chose that particular part of the country, he answers that it’s because of “the colour of the dirt”. Chung says, “Minari is not a factual representation of my childhood and Jacob and Monica are not my parents. But there are resonances there, the personal significance is deep.”
Jacob’s wife, Monica (Yeri Han), is far from happy when she sees the mobile home in the middle of nowhere that is to become their new abode. The Yi’s young children, Anne (Noel Kate Cho) and David (Alan Kim), regard the change as something of an adventure and take their new surroundings in their stride, as kids do. Jacob’s plan is to grow and sell Korean vegetables to the increasing Korean population of Dallas, across the border in Texas but, initially, he and Monica have to keep working in a factory in town while they set the farm up. Needing help to manage Anne and David when they are at work, they arrange for Monica’s mother, Soonja (Yuh-jung Youn), to come from South Korea and her arrival brings a change to the family dynamic. Granma speaks almost no English, is foul-mouthed, snores, wears men’s underpants and gambles; in short, she’s not like an American grandmother, complains David, who has to share his bedroom with her. He says she “smells like Korea”. Their relationship is the heart of the film, exemplifying the difference between Korean and US culture and the old and new generations. In one emotionally-charged scene, David shouts, “I’m not pretty, I’m good-looking!” when Soonji praises his appearance. Her use of the wrong adjective is indicative of the vast gap between them. As the family gets used to its new environment, things begin to look up for them but life on the land is always precarious and, before long, a series of setbacks puts pressure on them all, particularly Jacob and Monica.
An interesting aspect of Minari is that it doesn’t dwell on the subject of different nationalities, as is often the case in films of this nature. The Yi family is accepted by the town’s community, without any semblance of racism. At a church assembly, the priest welcomes them to the area and the locals show a healthy curiosity, rather than animosity, towards them. Indeed, Jacob employs a neighbour Paul (Will Patton), a fervent Pentecostal, who is willing to pass on his knowledge of Arkansas farming techniques. This is not a tale of conflict - it’s about resilience and perseverance, a story to which many families can relate, not only migrant ones. The performances are superb. Steven Yeun starred in 2019’s sensational Burning and he’s just as good here, albeit in an extremely different role; Yeri Han is an award-winning South Korean actress making her US debut in Minari and she is superb, beautifully capturing Monica’s love for Jacob and her family and her doubts about the course her husband has charted for them; Yuh-jung Youn is known as ‘The Meryl Streep of South Korea’ and she lives up to that reputation with her sublimely nuanced portrayal of the feisty Soonji; and young Alan Kim almost steals the best acting award from his remarkable peers. He’s sensational.
Touted as a strong contender in the Oscar nominations this year, Minari is an absolute treat. In addition to the acting, the direction, the script, the cinematography and score could all be in contention for awards. The location is borderline harsh and the Yi’s mobile home sparsely furnished but Australian DoP Lachlan Milne has brilliantly made the most of these constraints, and the film is accompanied by a hauntingly beautiful score from Emile Mosseri that exemplifies the mood of the environment. Minari is a relative of parsley, a ‘resilient Korean plant with the strength to grow in rough soil, even when its ploughed under’ and this, in a nutshell, is the theme of this movie - you need strength and perseverance to take root in a new land. Minari is not to be missed.
Screenplay: Lee Isaac Chung
Principal cast:
Steven Yeun
Yeri Han
Alan Kim
Noel Kate Cho
Yuh-jung Youn
Will Patton
Country: USA
Classification: PG
Runtime: 115 mins.
Australian release date: 18 February 2021.
Set in the 1980s during the Reagan presidency, Minari is a semi-autobiographical story about a seminal period in the life of Korean-American writer/director Lee Isaac Chung. It is a family drama that shows the difficulties people often encounter when they move to another region, following the American dream of making a fresh start. In this case, Jacob (Steven Yeun,) the patriarch of the Yi family, decides to relocate from urban California to rural Arkansas. When he is asked why he chose that particular part of the country, he answers that it’s because of “the colour of the dirt”. Chung says, “Minari is not a factual representation of my childhood and Jacob and Monica are not my parents. But there are resonances there, the personal significance is deep.”
Jacob’s wife, Monica (Yeri Han), is far from happy when she sees the mobile home in the middle of nowhere that is to become their new abode. The Yi’s young children, Anne (Noel Kate Cho) and David (Alan Kim), regard the change as something of an adventure and take their new surroundings in their stride, as kids do. Jacob’s plan is to grow and sell Korean vegetables to the increasing Korean population of Dallas, across the border in Texas but, initially, he and Monica have to keep working in a factory in town while they set the farm up. Needing help to manage Anne and David when they are at work, they arrange for Monica’s mother, Soonja (Yuh-jung Youn), to come from South Korea and her arrival brings a change to the family dynamic. Granma speaks almost no English, is foul-mouthed, snores, wears men’s underpants and gambles; in short, she’s not like an American grandmother, complains David, who has to share his bedroom with her. He says she “smells like Korea”. Their relationship is the heart of the film, exemplifying the difference between Korean and US culture and the old and new generations. In one emotionally-charged scene, David shouts, “I’m not pretty, I’m good-looking!” when Soonji praises his appearance. Her use of the wrong adjective is indicative of the vast gap between them. As the family gets used to its new environment, things begin to look up for them but life on the land is always precarious and, before long, a series of setbacks puts pressure on them all, particularly Jacob and Monica.
An interesting aspect of Minari is that it doesn’t dwell on the subject of different nationalities, as is often the case in films of this nature. The Yi family is accepted by the town’s community, without any semblance of racism. At a church assembly, the priest welcomes them to the area and the locals show a healthy curiosity, rather than animosity, towards them. Indeed, Jacob employs a neighbour Paul (Will Patton), a fervent Pentecostal, who is willing to pass on his knowledge of Arkansas farming techniques. This is not a tale of conflict - it’s about resilience and perseverance, a story to which many families can relate, not only migrant ones. The performances are superb. Steven Yeun starred in 2019’s sensational Burning and he’s just as good here, albeit in an extremely different role; Yeri Han is an award-winning South Korean actress making her US debut in Minari and she is superb, beautifully capturing Monica’s love for Jacob and her family and her doubts about the course her husband has charted for them; Yuh-jung Youn is known as ‘The Meryl Streep of South Korea’ and she lives up to that reputation with her sublimely nuanced portrayal of the feisty Soonji; and young Alan Kim almost steals the best acting award from his remarkable peers. He’s sensational.
Touted as a strong contender in the Oscar nominations this year, Minari is an absolute treat. In addition to the acting, the direction, the script, the cinematography and score could all be in contention for awards. The location is borderline harsh and the Yi’s mobile home sparsely furnished but Australian DoP Lachlan Milne has brilliantly made the most of these constraints, and the film is accompanied by a hauntingly beautiful score from Emile Mosseri that exemplifies the mood of the environment. Minari is a relative of parsley, a ‘resilient Korean plant with the strength to grow in rough soil, even when its ploughed under’ and this, in a nutshell, is the theme of this movie - you need strength and perseverance to take root in a new land. Minari is not to be missed.