“Minari” is directed by Lee Isaac Chung follows a Korean family as they chase the “American dream.” The film is nominated for six Acadmey Awards, including Best Picture.
“Minari” is written and directed by Lee Isaac Chung and stars Steven Yeun, Yeri Han, Alan S. Kim, Noel Cho, and Youn Yuh-jung. This film tells the story of a Korean family moving from California to Arkansas to start a farm and chase the idealistic “American dream” that’s sought after by so many. However, this dream is at a constant strain as martial strife, financial setbacks, and family issues continue to plague the character’s attempts at success and happiness in this new life.
“Minari” is an absolutely beautiful film in so many ways. Aesthetically it has some of the best direction and cinematography of the year with its gorgeous use of nature and the almost nostalgic setting of the 1980’s. Chung captures the subtle beauty of small family moments and the success of giving your all to something and getting a win, while also showing the devastations of failure and the need to persevere through the difficult times in order to chase the high of success yet again.
The incredible imagery of the film would not be possible without the help of the fantastic cast- everyone involved does a notable job portraying their characters, but there are two stand out performances in Alan S. Kim who plays the young son, David, and Youn Yuh-jung, who plays the distant grandma of David and his sister. Kim gives an impressive child performance as he captures fear, anger, and spite so well for being so young, while Yuh-jung feels so authentic in her role, embodying the character and showing the disconnects but also the true effort put forth when trying to connect with a family that has lived so long without your presence.
“Minari” also features a beautiful score that helps to elevate the dramatic and exciting scenes while also knowing when to take a backseat and let the visuals and performances take over, however, the biggest strength of this film is the script- one of the most real and unflinching looks at the American dream I have ever seen.
It makes no hesitation to show the toxic aspects of chasing something at the cost of your life or the amount of stress that it puts on a human being and the sometimes hard to watch or comprehend lengths they will go to in order to succeed. Most importantly though it captures love, and while that love may look different at times and be hard to understand if you never grew up in an environment similar to those in this film, it still shows the true goal of wanting better for your kids and the desperate yearning for them to be proud of you- even at their own detriment at times. The writing does struggle with sudden time jumps during certain scenes, but it is easy to get your bearings again when this happens.
Overall, “Minari” is a tale of aspirations and believing in yourself. The American dream has always prioritized hard work and the importance of betting on yourself and “Minari” shows a tale of people trying to prove their worth not only to others, but most importantly
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