Minari

Lee Isaac Chung’s semi-autobiographical film, Minari, grew out of the writer/director’s desire to tell a fictionalized story about his upbringing on a farm in rural Arkansas. The finished project, filmed in a rush over a scant 25 days, premiered at Sundance in early 2020 where it received universal acclaim. A24 acquired distribution rights and released it digitally in late 2020 just in time to qualify for that year’s Academy Awards where it would garner six Oscar nominations and shepherd in the first Oscar ever given to a Korean actress.

Lee drew on his own experiences being a Korean American in America’s heartland when he wrote the screenplay for Minari, fictionalizing the events to protect his very private parents whom he felt would be embarrassed should he release an accurate account of their experiences. Even so, he didn’t tell them what he was working on until after it was done filming for fear of what they might say about the project. The short shooting time and deadline with Sundance meant editing the film had to be done concurrently with the filming. This gives the film a workmanlike pacing that is serviceable but nothing much more. But a film like this is not about fancy editing or camera tricks, it’s about the story and the characters involved in it. 

The film follows the Yi family as they move from California to a plot of land in Arkansas in pursuit of their father’s dreams of becoming a farmer. Jacob Yi (Steven Yeun) and his wife Monica (Han Ye-ri) take jobs sexing chicks at a nearby hatchery to make ends meet while getting the farming land up and going. They have two children, Anne (Noel Kate Cho) and David (Alan Kim) who enjoy the countryside but David, who was born with a heart defect, has to be monitored carefully and constantly reminded not to run around, elevating his heart rate. Monica hates living away from the city and this becomes a topic of frustration between her and Jacob leading to many arguments that the kids cannot help overhearing. 

Not long after moving to Arkansas, Monica’s mother, Soon-ja (Youn Yuh-jung) comes to stay, providing a sitter for the kids while their parents work. She’s not the typical grandmother who cleans and bakes cookies; instead she plays cards, cusses, and has to share rooms with David who quickly dislikes the old woman. Meanwhile, things are not going well on the farm. Jacob turns down paying for a water diviner and instead uses logic to discern where to dig a well. This works for a while but midway through the growing season the well dries up forcing him to tap into the public water and pay a premium lest he lose the crops. He hires Paul (Will Patton), an eccentric Korean War veteran, to help with the planting and plowing, and that helps with the initial setup and growing period but late into the season the Dallas produce vendor cancels their order at the last minute leaving Jacob with no one to buy his crops. In a state of high frustration he accidentally lets slip that his crop’s success is more important to him than their family’s stability. After an emotional argument the couple agree to separate. 

The American Dream is prevalent in this award nominated screenplay. Jacob has the dream to become a successful farmer, bringing Korean vegetables to a Dallas market that will include many Korean immigrants. He’s correct that there will be a market for more foreign ingredients, something that would only increase in the coming years thanks to globalization. Anytime someone makes a go at it like this though there will be setbacks and unexpected expenses. In order to successfully make a go at a life changing endeavor such as this it is important to have strong family support behind you to help weather the hard times. Jacob doesn’t really have that. He faces complaints, criticism, and discontent at nearly every setback from his wife Monica. Her point of view isn’t an invalid one, though. By moving away from the city certain luxuries, especially having medical care close by for their son, becomes a real concern and should have been figured out prior to moving. We see none of the life the Yi family had before the move so we don’t know any of what was discussed between the parents leading up to it. All we get is that she preferred living in the city and is unhappy with the move.

The addition of grandma Soon-ja causes tension in the house as only Monica seems to want her there. David in particular doesn’t like having her there as the realities of living in a mobile home means he has to share a room with her. She has also brought a medicinal drink he must consume everyday to help with his heart condition. It’s apparently expensive and he’s not allowed to skip drinking it. Grandma also drinks the kid’s Mountain Dew, taking away one of the few things they really like. This leads to a wonderfully humorous moment when David substitutes urine for the drink and gives it to her. How she managed to drink any of it without realizing what it was first is ridiculous but her reaction to the malicious prank is priceless.

Grandma’s addition to the household not only brings someone to watch the kids during the day but she also has an idea for a crop that Jacob should plant, Minari. Minari is a type of water celery grown in Korea and she has an idea to plant some near a creek. The plant is resilient and useful, undervalued by Jacob. She also encourages David to be more active even though his parents fear it may further damage his heart. Through a combination of things the damage to his heart begins to heal and the doctors feel whatever the family is doing should be maintained. 

Youn Yuh-jung became the first Korean actress to win an Oscar. Her performance is pretty good but a little more nuanced than what typically stands out to the academy. Steven Yeun was also nominated but the real standout of this film, Han Ye-ri, was snubbed. She is the heart of the family and has to convey the very real fears a mother in this situation would be facing and to do so without coming across as a selfish complainer. Han nails it, appearing sympathetic when she could have easily come across as a shrew. She’s not completely unsupportive in her husband’s endeavor but this is a very realistic portrayal of someone pulled out of their element in pursuit of a dream that she doesn’t share.

Minari doesn’t sugar-coat rural America nor the American dream. It’s hard to make a go at farming, especially when starting from scratch. Uprooting a young family with very little in money and possessions and throwing everything at a dream can be daunting and that feeling is expertly written into the screenplay and portrayed on screen. This is a relatable story about a family that is not in sync with each other and will consequently nearly fall apart over this farm. Priorities get re-examined and a devastating loss almost ends the dream for good. Fortunately, despite everything there is love in that marriage and that tragedy turns into a blessing that saves the farm, and the family. 

Academy Award Nominations:

Best Picture: Christina Oh

Best Director: Lee Isaac Chung

Best Actor: Steven Yeun

Best Supporting Actress: Youn Yuh-jung (won)

Best Original Screenplay: Lee Isaac Chung

Best Original Score: Emile Mosseri

____________________________________________________

Release Date: December 11, 2020

Running Time: 115 Minutes

Rated PG

Starring: Steven Yeun, Han Ye-ri, Alam Kim, Noel Kate Cho, Youn Yuh-jung and Will Patton

Directed By Lee Isaac Chung