After the year we’ve been through, we could use something hearty, precisely why A24’s Minari is the Film We Deserve.
Lee Isaac Chung’s Korean American diaspora story centers around the sacrifices in achieving the American dream; and how it can be in both worlds while examining the complexity in obtaining it.
The difficulty of navigating life as an immigrant isn’t an easy one. There are ingrained notions of grandeur due to America’s almighty projecting (while that may ruffle feathers, it’s my experience as a first-generation Mexican American).
These obstacles sculpt our life viewpoints; this duality immigrants face can also be a needless shedding process. Half-way letting go of “who you were” to become the unique person you should be— an American first and foremost.
The quietly powerful and fragile multigenerational portrayal of an American tale during the current presidential administration is ever-present. Minari shadows a similar dark era as the Yi family relocates to Arkansas during the ’80s.
Yearning for more, Jacob (Steven Yeun) gambles and uproots his family to achieve his dream of owning a locally sourced farm. Making a bold, life-changing decision, he relocates his family to their new home in a completely different state.
Viewers meet the shy yet self-assured Anne (Noel Cho), the adorably mischievous David (Alan S. Kim in his film debut), and the gentleness of perceivable Monica (Ye-ri Han). Still dismayed by her new home with wheels, Monica (Ye-ri Han) struggles with finding any connection while the kids are aimlessly weary.
Suddenly, a thunderous night threatens any possibility of further staying in Arkansas. Feeling guilty, Jacob consoles Monica by supporting her decision to have her mother migrate from Korea to alleviate the tension. Upon Soon-ja’s arrival, her unfamiliar peculiarity fascinates David.
Soon-ja (Youn Yuh-jung)’s sunny and vibrant presence reminds me of my Abuela. Equally mischievous with biting wit, humor, and a taste for carbonated beverages. Soon-ja bogarts the “water from the mountains” (Mountain Dew), has an arsenal of nourishing Korean foods, and she also gambles in her oversized t-shirt and men’s underwear.
David’s curiosity gives him something to do away from precocious Anne. The latter craves independence as she quietly melds the family together. Free to focus on their job and farm, Jacob and Monica continue to sort male and female chicks at a local hatchery. Like they have for the past ten years.
Jacob’s reckless determination to prove himself a success by creating a farm on untapped soil jeopardizes any stability. Jacob even dips into the family’s emergency savings while promising Monica that he knows what he’s doing.
The farm’s stress nearly crumbles the Yi family. Although it’s precisely through David’s eyes that we see Jacob’s ambition is an expat adage brought on by the hardship of having nothing. The desire to provide more than you had, never to be devoid of what they had growing up. Especially when Jacob says, “they need to see me succeed at something for once.” Instantly transporting me back to my childhood and seeing my dad take similar risks and struggle to make ends meet. A heartbreaking realization of having to ration their water immediately resonates with me; since that same thing happened growing up in Texas.
Finding a deconstructed groove, the Yi family struggle with assimilating and identity. David rebels against sharing his room with his Korean grandmother and drinking her healthy broths. Yet, he doesn’t exactly connect to his new American friend’s Arkansas culture.
Like David, Monica is also struggling. Her time-driven performances at work and lack of fluency in English isolate her. Han’s quiet storm like performance is a mighty one; their anguish and frustration of fitting in are palpable. Which unlocked a memory; seeing my mother’s dissatisfaction and inability to communicate pierced my heart in a way I forgot about.
Inspired by his upbringing in the Ozarks, writer-director Lee Isaac Chung creates a whimsically charming film that bares its soul. Minari rein-evokes the sentiment of treasuring beauty in nature around us. Besides being seemingly effortless, Minari is quintessentially an American film; since immigrant narratives and experiences aren’t a monolith. Anyone can enjoy this dazzling film and its prowess to reconnect us to the beauty of the simplicity of realism; it’s fortifying.
Thanks in part to Emile Mosseri’s beautifully delicate and perceptible score. After all, Minari’s an herb that “anyone rich or poor can enjoy and be healthy, Minari is wonderful.” Minari debuts on February 12th, 2021, via A24 and Plan B entertainment.
