Minari

When a director pours an amount love into their own respective passion projects that are close to home for them, that appreciations can be felt in the final products. A subgenre that comes to mind with this would be slice of life dramas that may not look like much on the surface but are well made in their own rights. Alfonso Cuaron, for example, tapped into his own upbringing with his Oscar winning Roma (2018) with the level of filmmaking rising strong with the acting, cinematography, and mellow story. This brings us to another project that harkens to this topic with the drama, Minari, which was written and directed by Lee Isaac Chung. It debuted in film festivals before gaining nominations in the Oscars. I was made aware of this through the amount of love it shown via social media buzz and had put it on my watchlist, knowing nothing about its premise. After watching it, I didn't love it as much as the critics did but I still appreciate the work put in it.

What's it about? Taking place in 1980s Arkansas, the story follows a South Korean family attempt to make it in their new home. This is very much going for that slice of life aspect with the members of the group just acting normal as they work to find the best living for themselves. The buildup of internal conflict between 2 different pairs (husband-wife and son-grandma) of the protagonists are well done and fairly interesting to watch. The production value is very nice to look at making the most of the limited areas that are often seen the most (such as their house and the wide outdoor greens). Just behaving as a family would between common problems of being in a new area as well as having relatives from one country coming over are respectfully handled well.

For all of the solid good value in the story, however, it stumbles in how engaging it can be to watch. The very slow pacing is noticeable throughout, which makes some scenes feel like unnecessary padding when thinking back on it. The conflicts are familiar to watch and play out in a predictable manner to escalate tension, which isn't helped by the slow wait until those parts. The third act contains a climax that feels like it wants to pander for its Oscar and while the value within that is definitely spelled out, it didn't land strong emotional impact (at least on my end). 

  

How are the actors? In regards to story importance, the actors to focus on are Steven Yuen, Han Ye-Ri, Youn Yun-jung, and Alan Kim. Steven gives a great performance that hints towards his frustrated layers hidden beneath likable optimism that unfold in a relatable journey to supporting his family. Han's acting is a good complement to Steven in how she makes the most as the more realistic role of the parents while showcasing a sweet caring side (very solid chemistry between both actors). Youn is engaging to watch in a role where she acclimates to being a grandmother of children she's meeting for the first time. Alan's performance is a highlight in balancing out his rambunctious side with growing up to new circumstances. Honorable mention goes to Will Patton who does the most with his limited screen time out of the support cast. 

 

Overall Consensus: Minari is a very nice slice of life drama with a familiar predictable premise that's supported by great casting performances, solid passionate directing, and heartfelt showcasing of family, despite slow pacing and climax issues. ⭑⭑⭑3/4 Runtime: 1 hour 55 minutes R

 

Reasons to watch it: You are a fan of the aforementioned actors and/or filmmaker Lee Isaac Cheng. You don't mind a mixture of Korean and English spoken in dialogue (mostly in the former). You don't mind predictable story arcs. You love seeing how Asian households are represented in media. You want to see how it compares to the Oscar nominees in its categories. You don't mind slow moving plots. 

 

Reasons to avoid it: You aren't a fan of the aforementioned actors and/or filmmaker Lee Isaac Cheng. You bothered with a mixture of Korean and English spoken in dialogue. You are bored with predictable story arcs. You are interested in seeing how it compares to the Oscar nominees in its categories. You are bored with mind slow moving plots.