by Le Anne Lindsay, Editor

Mountain Dew the Elixir of Life

MINARI written/directed by Lee Isaac Chung (Plan B / A24) had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival 2020, winning both the U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury Prize and the U.S. Dramatic Audience Award. The story features a Korean-American family moving to Arkansas in the 1980s after originally emigrating from South Korea to California. Jacob (Steven Yuen), gets it into his head that becoming a farmer specializing in Korean vegetables is going to be what saves him from a life as a chicken sex worker; there is an actual job where people sit at a table all day, picking up baby chicks, turning them over to see what sex they are, and separating them into boy or girl crates. It looks like the most tedious job ever, so it is no wonder Jacob puts all the money the family has into buying land and a trailer home and moving his daughter Anne (Noel Kate Cho) son David (Alan S. Kim) and his wife Monica (Han Ye–ri), who really is not on board with the entire plan.

After a few months of a hard start in farming and living with an unhappy wife, Jacob suggests Monica’s mother, Soon-ja (Youn Yuh-jung) be brought over from Korea to help with the children. (Note: you’ll see from the Q&A video below, Youn is a revered actress “the Meryl Streep of Korea”). Monica is pleased to have her mother with her, yet unfortunately, it means she becomes the chicken sex worker to bring in extra money until the farm starts producing. 

Soon-ja is no docile senior citizen.  She’s full of energy, cuss words, likes to joke around and play cards. You’d think the kids would love meeting a grandma such as this, but instead, Anne is politely wary, and David just out and out tells her she’s not what he wants “Real grandmothers bake cookies! Real grandmothers don’t swear!”.

Minari is one of those family dramas that sneaks up on you so at the end you say, that was good!  But during, it doesn’t feel like a lot is happening.  You do feel stressed for Jacob as irrigation issues and other obstacles become deterrents to his dream. Thankfully, he does form an odd bond, with this peculiar, pious older white guy, Paul (Will Patton). I think without having someone else to share the burden, Jacob would have cracked, as he and Monica are not in a place of good communication, actually, far from it.

Alan S. Kim as this naughty, sweet-faced boy taking on his feisty grandma is really where the heart of the movie lies.  Seeing as this is Lee Isaac Chung’s semi-autobiographical story, he is David as a youngster, and the reason why this character is sharpest. Not to mention, the amazing casting choice of Kim.  That being said, it’s also a remarkable ensemble.  The entire movie feels authentic and sincere.  Chung has remarked how “Minari” was inspired not just by his own childhood, but a quote from Frontier novelist Willa Cather, who once said she came into her own when she “stopped admiring and started remembering.”  The film is also enhanced by Emile Mosseri’s (Kajillionaire and The Last Black Man in San Francisco) rich score.

The title, Minari, refers to a Korean herb that comes into its own, but not usually until its second season. Which easily applies to this family’s determination to carve out the American dream, despite a rocky start.

T&T @ largeassmovieblog rating: 4.5 outta 5

MINARI LIVE VIRTUAL Q&A with Cast and Director

A24 invited members of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle to a live virtual Q&A with “Minari” writer/director Lee Isaac Chung and Cast members: Steven Yeun, Han Ye-ri, Young Yuh Jung and Alan S. Kim