Minari is a modern day classic, an embodiment of the so-called American Dream and the toll that it can take on a family. But it is also so much more than that. It takes a look at how people can get lost on the journey of life, trying to constantly look into the future, instead of looking at how far they’ve already come. This narrative drives much of the film as we see the toll that it takes on the entirety of the family.
Minari follows a Korean family, led by Jacob and Monica (Steve Yeun and Yeri Han) and their two children David and Anne (Alan S. Kim and Noel Cho) as they move from California to Arkansas in the early 1980’s. Jacob and Monica moved from Korea to America ten years before the start of the film. They spent their time working as chicken sexers and in their move, you learn that they will be doing the same thing in their new town. Their move is fueled by one final push to truly make it in America. Jacob purchases 50-acres of land in a small remote farm town. You quickly learn that Monica isn’t fully supportive of this move as they left everything behind in California, including steady income.
The issue of income is a common problem for the family throughout the entirety of the film as you soon learn that David is living with a heart murmur that puts him at risk. The underlying threat that at any given moment David could succumb to this offers a sense of uneasiness until about halfway through the film. It is not long after you learn that David will be ok that the Yi family is struck with another tragedy. The grandmother, named Soonja (Yuh-Jung Youn) who is a constant spark throughout the movie, is struck down with a stroke. This proves to be a pivotal moment in the film as Monica wants the family to move back to Korea while David believes their dream is still attainable in America.
Minari is written and directed by Lee Isaac Chung and it loosely follows Chung’s true life story. Minari also serves as one of the latest films in independent film company A24’s deep arsenal. A24 has proved to serve as the foundation for many big name artists “passion projects”. They give a freedom to creatives that most larger studios don’t. This was made clear in 2018 with Jonah Hill’s hit movie Mid 90’s.
It is also important to note that this film doesn’t follow the typical tropes associated with a family from a foreign place moving to a town full of mostly white people. There is never any racism depicted and at times it feels as if it was written to seem that way. There are numerous set-ups where you believe a neighbor in the town is gearing up to say something terrible or that the Yi’s will be discriminated against, yet that moment never comes. Instead, there is a focus on how people are here to help each other instead of hurt each other. A true message of love thy neighbor.
The performance of the movie arguably falls to young actor Alan Kim. Kim, who plays David Yi, offers a truthfully honest performance. We see the world from a child who just wants to be like his dad. This feeling offers a sense of familiarity with the audience and Kim is able to make it all look so natural. The youthful innocence that we get from him, even though he faced adversity, is not only powerful but also inspiring. A majority of the comedic moments are also delivered from Kim. (The most notable joke throughout the film is that the family thinks that Mountain Dew is a special drink that truly does come from mountains.) There is also a strong connection between Kim and Youn, his grandmother in the film. The two are able to act alongside each other comfortably, as if they are a real-life family.
The film also serves as a true breakout hit for Steven Yeun. Yeun, who is most known for his work on the hit television show The Walking Dead has clearly achieved success up to this point, but Minari could be what finally allows him to reach stardom on a grand stage. His acting in this film at times felt so real that you became lost in the character. The sincerity that he approached the role with was clear, and he has made it clear how much this meant to him in numerous interviews. His strong performance caught the attention of many and even earned him an Oscar nomination for best actor in a leading role.
All in all, Minari is a work that everyone should experience at some point or another. The film offers a fresh perspective on not just the fragility of life but how important it is to enjoy things while you have them. As we have learned from other hits such as Parasite, you can’t allow subtitles to stop you. And while I would say just around 60 percent of this film is in Korean, once you look past that, it truly is an exceptional work. (And it’s not hard to just read words on the screen, I promise.)
As I’ve previously mentioned, I truly do think that Steven Yeun was meant to play this role. And yes, I am somewhat biased in my opinion on this matter as I think he is one of the most talented actors in the film industry. All this movie did was reaffirm my beliefs in that opinion. I also think that we get one of the strongest supporting supporting roles of 2021 in Will Patton who plays the “crazy, extremely Christian neighbor” in the film. It is not often that a film is able to move me in ways that this one has. You quickly feel almost as if you are also a part of the Yi family, supporting them along their journey as they do what everyone else in this world is trying to do; make things better today so that you can have a better tomorrow.