JOIN US'Minari' movie review: A heartfelt tale about family and hope
Minari
Director: Lee Isaac Chung
Cast: Steven Yeun, Han Ye-ri, Alan Kim, Youn Yuh-jung
Score: 4.5/5 stars
Lee Issac Chung's Minari has a subtle subtext delicately sewn in throughout its entire runtime. Referring to both a plant featured prominently in it and to the cycle of life itself, Minari stitches together a potent, deeply personal tale about a family and how hope may just be the thing you need in your life.
Quite unlike Parasite, which dealt with a family using themes of deception and lies, Minari is a more heartfelt, sincere idea, born from the life of director Lee Issac Chung himself.
Set in the early 1980s, Minari (at least on the surface) is typical story about immigration, growing into something and the eponymous 'American dream': The idea that one can make something of themselves. A small Korean family moves into a farmland in rural Arkansas. The father Jacob Yi hopes to escape a life of sexing chickens and raise a farm for himself.
It's a very understandable ambition for someone like Jacob, who shows a clear dislike for his old job in his confrontations with his wife Monica and shows signs of seeking this greater calling. For her part, Monica is visibly reluctant about this new life, a problem compounded by the fact that their son, David, has a debilitating heart condition. It's a fear that drives her throughout the film and yet, it is the thing that offers her some form of closure.
Jacob, a novice but somewhat proud about his 'Korean mind' is joined by an eccentric neighbour, Paul, who is a curious figure in himself. A Korean war veteran with more than a few quirks, Paul is one of those people you just can't dislike because of his well-mannered nature.
Minari is rife with the theme of life and death, in both appearance and subtext. Early on, David learns what happens to 'discarded' male chicks from his father, who teaches him the importance of being useful, "or else". The implication is clear. There are also recurring themes derived from biblical terms, such as prayers for miracles and talks of the Garden of Eden, all cemented in the family's Christian faith, which grounds the entire affair.
The film is driven by its acting as much as its story. Chung shows masterful command of where he wants to go with his tale here, gracefully moving from conflict to peace, estrangement to reconciliation, despair to hope, in an almost mesmerising manner like a maestro expertly conducting an orchestra of emotions.
It is also helped by an energetic, thoughtful performance by Steven Yeun, Han Ye-ri, and newcomer Alan Kim, who along with Youn Yuh-jung's Soon-ja, encapsulate the very essence of will, grit and learning to accept things that are new to oneself. Change can be terrifying but it is a matter of a leap of faith and togetherness and that is where Minari succeeds the most.
Minari won the award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role at the 93rd Academy Awards.