The Best Picture nominee at the 93rd Academy Awards, Minari, written and terrifically directed by Lee Issac Chung, explores the story of a Korean American family who moves to an Arkansas plantation in search of its American dream. Minari’s visuals immediately immerse you in rural Arkansas in the 1980s. Chung and his Director of Photography, Lachlan Milne, did a fantastic job putting together a visually stunning film with sumptuous landscapes and beautiful colors.
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Chung captivates you with his fantastic screenplay of Minari and also the characters. Jacob (Steven Yeun) plays a resolute father and hard worker who truly credits in the American dream and prides himself on his Korean heritage. On the other hand, Monica (Han Ye-ri) a conflicted woman, who is trying her best to balance the family taking care of the home while her husband cares for the crops while balancing her work with chicken breeding. Her desire to be both a good wife, mother, and daughter leads to much inner conflict.
David (Alan S. Kim), a young boy and son of Jacob and Monica, a shy but playfully mischievous boy with a heart condition. Then there is Anne (Noel Cho), the daughter of Jacob and Monica, and the sister of David, a smart young girl who is a responsible member of the household when Monica isn’t home. And lastly Soonja (Youn Yuh-jung), mother of Monica she’s a very funny woman with a heart of gold. And lastly, Paul (Will Patton) the farmhand and religious man who befriends the family. The entire cast was terrific.
Steven Yeun deserved the nomination at the 93rd Academy Awards, and Alan S. Kim put together one of the best child performances I have ever seen in his debut movie. Between the great script, characters, performances, cinematography, and sound design, Minari brings a future classic about the American Dream.
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Minari illustrates the failures, triumphs, and hardships of a struggling family trying to assimilate into their new life in Arkansas. This film will make you feel things you wouldn’t expect to feel, and every emotion is felt deeply. Minari is a master class in every way.
Review by Robert Arcidiacono
Follow Robert on IG – @arcmoviereviews
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