Film review
Filmmaker Lee Isaac Chung’s (Munyurangabo; 2007) Minari presents a semi-biographical story of an immigrant family pursuing their dreams of a better future in the USA through a captivating and heart-aching story.
Set in the 1980s, a South Korean family move from a city in California to the countryside of Arkansas, where the Korean community is scarce and spread. Without any support and with increasing debt, Jacob (Steven Yeun) and Monica (Han Ye-ri) decide to bring Monica’s mother Soon-ja (Youn Yuh-jung) to take care of the children. The detached family soon faces hard reality checks that tremble each other’s future.
Minari is an immigrant story that focuses on the human part rather than blaming external circumstances. It is a story about a family trying to make it in the United States. Being Korean adds to the distinctness of the family but does not limit the story. There is a universality in their struggle that many will recognise, immigrants as well as non-immigrants.
Talented crew
As the family is the centre of the story, it is pivotal to the story that the characters feel real. And in this moving picture, they are more than real; they are alive. Without any doubt, the acting is excellent. Youn Yuh-jung portrays a full and rich character that shows her years of exceptional acting. Youn Yuh-jung is a renowned actress in South Korea who has been acting since 1966 (television and later in films), and it is no wonder that she delivered an award-winning performance.
With a quality-acting that reflects his meticulous and sincere performance, Steven Yeun (Burning, 2018) does not disappoint. Even the performance of the young Alan Kim playing the couple’s son David remains pure and childlike that one forgets that the child is playing another child.
Dreamlike
In Minari, the story welcomes us to the home of the family, but rather, it invites us to be part of their dream.
The cinematography and camera movements contribute to the context of dreaminess. It is through the camera movements that float slowly passing the protagonists in various scenes that remark and evoke the state of a dream.
The lighting gleams the surrounding nature, and soft light reflections contribute to the dreamlike scenery. The spectator sees part of the family’s dream through the frame, which they are trying to achieve by cultivating vegetables on the farm.
In addition to the cinematography, the score (Emile Mosseri) vibrates and combines instrumental cottagecore music that evokes the notion of hope, dream and melancholy. Next to the images, the music connotes a soft vibe that plunges us into a melancholic state of reverie.
Twists, narrative and conclusion
From the start, the viewer knows something severe is going to happen, but the narrative does not reveal how and to whom until almost the very end. Filled with shocking twists, but remaining within the family, Minari’s narrative and step-by-step progress captivate us every second.
Not only the cinematography displays high quality, but it’s worth mentioning the clothing and mise-en-scene. The colour arrangement and a keen eye for detail emphasise Lachlan Milne’s amazing job. It immerses the viewer completely into the story without leaving space for escaping the setting as the diverse layers of the film (immigration, love, self-belief, roots and identity) cover any possible hole in the story.
What else can I say, this film deserves more awards and recognition!
Ending explained
For Minari’s ending explained, see here.
Images courtesy of filmdepot.nl.
