When you think of the recent run of A24 movies, you think of horror (Midsommar or Hereditary); chaos (Uncut Gems) or existentialist arthouse (The Lighthouse). Lee Isaac Chung’s Minari – which is already tipped for Oscar nomination – recalls earlier, coming-of-age features in the production house’s back catalogue of gems.
Minari is the story of a Korean family’s move from city life in California to the arse end of Arkansas. They’ve swapped endless hours of chicken sexing for a dream – the chance to run their own farm and produce Korean vegetables to sell to local immigrant communities.
On the surface, that might not sound like much. The film certainly is a slow burn – but it’s one that will make you feel both joy and despair; happiness and frustration. Like it’s characters, it’s both moving and modest. It perfectly captures the desperate acts of a family clinging on to both their dreams and each other.
Set in the early 1980s, the film centres on Jacob (Steven Yeun) and Monica (Yeri Han) as they adapt to their new life in a static trailer. Jacob is clearly both a dreamer and a worker; Monica longs to return to the city and is more practical. The film often depicts their struggles through the hushed whispers of their children, David (Alan Kim) and Anne (Noel Cho).
Yes, this is a movie about “the American Dream”, coupled with “an immigrant story” but it’s not told in the typical way. It’s not brash or provocative and it doesn’t necessarily play into all those twee Hollywood happy endings. It makes it clear – life on this farm is tough and there are plenty of setbacks along the way.
The performances are all completely solid, here. Yeun’s sheer determination to make a go of things – despite set back after frustrating set back – reminded me of Lamberto Maggiorani’s dogged Antonio in The Bicycle Thieves. He is stoic but, behind it all, you can see the pain and fear etched on his face. He needs this farm to work; the tricky and fragile soil a somewhat loose metaphor for his marriage.
But, arguably, the stand out performance comes from young Alan Kim as David. He’s desperate to explore and – strutting about in his tiny cowboy boots – fit in and make friends. His relationship with his on-screen Grandma (Yuh-Jung Youn) is some of the best chemistry I have ever seen in a film. It just feels so natural. They are every bit as mischievous, blunt and playful as each other and the scenes they share are so utterly magical.
Will Patton delivers one of the most compelling supporting performances as a Korea-vet who has found religion (but not work). His character seems so sad and so haunted, from all we get to see of him.
The rural setting washes the movie in dusky yellows and spring greens; deep mahoganies and fiery ambers. Emile Mosseri’s score quietly whispers away in the background – as modest as the film itself – gently nudging us towards more emotional points in the movie without overdoing it.
And it’s the quietness that draws you in. You feel as if you are not watching a film, rather you are witnessing a period of time within normal family life.
Although there are plenty of moments of despair, this is a film that leaves you feeling warm and, ultimately, hopeful. It couldn’t have come along at a better time.
Minari is opening this year’s Glasgow Film Festival. Get your tickets to see it – and gain access to the full festival programme – by clicking here.
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