Film Review: "Minari" ("미나리") (2020).

From the director of Munyurangabo and Abigail Harm comes Minari (미나리). This Korean-American comedy-drama film written and directed by Lee Isaac Chung. The film follows a Korean-American family that moves to an Arkansas farm in search of their own American Dream. The family home changes completely with the arrival of their sly, foul-mouthed, but incredibly loving grandmother. Amidst the instability and challenges of this new life in the rugged Ozarks.

In July 2019, it was announced Steven Yeun, Han Ye-ri, Youn Yuh-Jung, Alan Kim, Noel Kate Cho, Will Patton, Scott Haze and Darryl Cox were cast in a comedy-drama film penned and to be directed by Chung. At the same time, principal photography commenced and took place in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

The film stars Yeun, Han, Youn, Kim, Cho Patton, Haze and Cox. The film showcases surprisingly exemplary performances from the consistently underrated Steven Yuen and Alan Kim. Their highly emotive performances exudes more emotion in a wistful sideways glance than most actors do over their entire careers.

Minari is a small, quiet film with big implications. It's one of those movies where knowing the inspiration behind the film will give you more appreciation of the humble film on-screen. Chung's film feels 'organic.' Rather than giving Western viewers a guilt trip by exploring Koreaphobia in America, he makes a movie by a Korean-American for Korean-Americans. A searing and unforgettable portrait of a nation in transition as seen through the eyes of those who want to better their lives. Chung went and made a movie in the Ozarks because it was possible and because he cared, and that's as good a reason as you can find for making a movie. Chekhov's principle of drama is in full effect, but what's remarkable about the film is how it slowly steers its way from portent to poetry. Free of any mannerism or displays of bravura, the filmmaking is strongly informed with a sense of poetry, cinematic sophistication and a desire to allow scenes to play out fully, but no longer than they must. It may be a simple film with a straightforward message, but the details and conflicts Chung captures give it a reality that cannot be denied. If you can get past the mercurial changes in emotions and the slow pace you'll find a film that has a lot to say about family, love and reconciliation. The film is a simple, naturalistic parable about a journey to the Ozarks by a Korean-American family, reflects on the chances of achieving the American dream. It's raw and rough, but beautifully photographed and classically constructed, with an undercurrent of domestic tension and a lyrical sensibility. A compelling, provocative and well-nuanced drama that's also refreshingly unpretentious and quietly engrossing. The film uses the fine-grained techniques of cinematic neorealism to illuminate the psychological and emotional landscape of the American South. There's a patient attentiveness and inquisitiveness to the film that seemingly springs, at least in part, from the cultural divide between Chung, his cast, milieu, and language.

Simon says Minari (미나리) receives: