Minari Soars!

Movie Reviewed: Minari

Director: Lee Isaac Chung

Date Reviewed: 30 May 2021

jamesintexas rating = ****

Streaming on Amazon

Director Lee Isaac Chung's new film Minari's delicate rhythms and quiet moments explore the nature of family, the nature of devotion, the setting of roots in a new place far away from the familiar, and the essence of the American Dream.  In a story set in the 1980's about Korean immigrants, Steven Yuen (so good on The Walking Dead) gives a shining, powerful performance as Jacob, a father trying to do right by his family, transplanting them from California to rural Arkansas to farm the land and live in a trailer there, throwing everything they have into this risky endeavor.  Monica (Yeri Han) plays his wife, fiercely protective of their daughter Anne (Noel Kate Cho) and son David (Alan S. Kim) while also great nervous at the precariousness of their new life.  Chung's camera tracks a walking Jacob as he paces the lengths of his land, searching for water and the proper elements to make his dream come true.  Similarly, he also tracks a walking David as he explores the hidden spaces in their new home and navigates both school and friendship, always with unexpected results.  

Mother-in-law (Yuh-jung You) arrives to help the struggling family, and her Oscar-winning performances electrifies the movie, giving it a rich humor and pathos.  To say more would be a sin, but Minari explores the idea of making it in America and all the struggles therein; its evocation of family and beauty evokes Terence Malick's great film Tree of Life.  Chung has crafted a masterpiece here, examining precisely what it means to be American, a thing that could not be more powerful in 2021.  

Simply put, Minari is one of the best films of the year.