Film Review | Minari & the Immigrant Experience in Cinema

For many, the ‘art for art’s sake’ point of view is all there is to it. However, it is difficult not to acknowledge the humanity and sensitivity behind cinematic attempts that deal with ever-burning social issues. In the wake of the award-winning ‘Parasite’ and its sweeping success, the new film year has come to ceremoniously pass the torch to ‘Minari’.

Named after the hardy Korean herb that is able to grow anywhere, ‘Minari’ (미나리) is the canvas upon which the story of a Korean American family in the 1980s unfolds. After failing to put down roots in California, they decide to move to a small farm in Arkansas in search of the much-coveted American Dream. The arrival of the witty, slightly vulgar but unquestionably loving grandmother from Korea proves to be pivotal and something that puts the balances within the family further to the test. Against the backdrop of this fragile setting and the dramatic challenges of a new life in the country, ‘Minari’ captures and poignantly depicts the unyielding resilience of a family, while at the same time pondering on what family really means.

In the director’s and screenwriter’s seat, one finds Lee Isaac Chung. Looking back on his artistic endeavours, one finds that his first feature film, ‘Munyurangabo’, was part of the Official Selection for the Cannes, Berlin, Toronto, and Busan Film Festivals. Having grown up on a farm in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas, the director draws autobiographical inspiration from his inexhaustible reserves and narrates ‘Minari’, a heartbreaking immigration story. Using delicate yet detailed and powerful storytelling, he weaves the story of both a family trying to find its identity and fit into a foreign country as well as the personal journey of a young boy trying to find his place in his very own family.

Behind Chung’s lens lie the U.S. production companies A24 (renowned for its involvement in indie film territory) and Plan B Entertainment (Brad Pitt’s production company, best known for its great success with the Academy Award-winning film ‘Moonlight’). The cast consists of Korean actors Steven Yeun (‘The Walking Dead’, ‘Burning’) and Han Ye-ri (‘Nokdu Flower’, ‘Hello, My Twenties!’), who play the parents of the family, but also Youn Yuh-jung, portraying Grandma Soon-ja. The world premiere of the film took place in January 2020 at the Sundance Film Festival, one of the U.S.’s largest annual independent film and documentary festivals, where up-and-coming filmmakers present their work in the hope of making a difference. There, ‘Minari’ was awarded both the U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury Prize and the U.S. Dramatic Audience Award.

Film trailer of “Minari”

Having waited long for its release date due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the film was available in video-on-demand form on the 11th of December 2020 and for one week, while its theatrical release took place in February 2021. Given the wide, positive response the film garnered within the critics’ circles, it was also one of the strong contenders in the dance of the Academy Awards, writing its own history alongside distinguished films on the subject of immigration, such as Marjane Satrapi’s autobiographical ‘Persepolis’ or Elia Kazan’s ‘America America’.

As ‘The Boston Globe’ review of the film aptly put it: