Sundance 2020: Minari Review

This will be one of many reviews during this year’s Sundance Film Festival, to keep up with our latest coverage, click here.

Representation on film in front of and behind the camera has never been more important. Meanwhile, anyone can relate to the pursuit of the American dream. Many of us have come from immigrants pursuing the dream of a better life for themselves and their families. Minari is the latest story chronicling the pursuit of the American dream as it pertains to the immigrant experience and it’s an unforgettable one. This beautiful and powerful family tale of overcoming adversity and perseverance that revels in the little moments is sure to uplift and inspire while tugging on the heartstrings and making audiences feel a gamut of emotions over the course of the film’s sub 2 hour running time. Meanwhile, audiences will fall in love with these many generations of characters. Though despite all the ups and downs, family prevails over all.

Minari focuses on the Yis, a Korean family who move to Arkansas to start a farm in the 1980s. While Jacob (Yeun) and Monica (Yeri) were immigrants, their children David (Alan S. Kim) and Anne (Noel Cho) were very American first generation Korean-Americans. These contrasting ideologies on what it meant to be American and the American dream added another dimension to the film. Seeking a better life for his family, the enthusiastic Jacob was paramount in the move but not everyone would share his enthusiasm. Despite their new environment, he wanted to stay in touch with his Korean roots, however, this would be easier said than done as he faced plenty of pressure (internally and externally) to succeed. Meanwhile, Monica did not share in that enthusiasm, causing friction. Her kids were her main concern. While David was riddled with medical issues, the mature beyond her years Anne served as a pseudo-mother type. Furthering that generational gap was Monica’s mother Soonja (Youn), joining the pantheon of adorable a24 Asian grandmas (after last year’s The Farewell) thanks to her several hilarious interactions with David.

In the end, Minari was Jacob’s story and for that it succeeded because of Yeun’s impressive performance. Jacob Yi was the heart and soul of the film and is arguably more American than most of the film’s other characters (Yeun is an American). Yeun’s sheer likability and relatability makes it easy to connect with Jacob’s arc over the course of the film. As mentioned, the film revels in the little moments. Jacob’s calm confidence and enthusiasm was infectious and when accompanied with the film’s epic score (and cinematography), elevating these moments, it’s hard to not get inspired. Meanwhile. the rest of the performances across the board were also up to the task. The whole Yi family had great chemistry be it Yeun and Yeri’s Monica, Kim and Cho as David and Anne, and even Kim and Youn as Soonja.

At the end of the day, Minari is an extraordinary drama and one that we will still be talking about by the end of the year.

still courtesy of Sundance

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.