Movie Review: Minari (2020)

Genre: Drama  
Director: Lee Isaac Chung  

Starring: Steven Yeun, Han Ye-ri, Will Patton  
Running Time: 115 minutes  

Synopsis: In the early 1980s, South Korean immigrant and expert chicken sexer Jacob (Steven Yuen) relocates his family from California to a mobile house on a large rural acreage in Arkansas. He has a dream to establish a farm, but his wife Monica (Han Ye-ri) is unconvinced. Their two young children David and Ann observe their parents fighting, and David is also suffering from a heart condition. The family dynamic changes when Monica's mother Soon-ja (Youn Yuh-jung) arrives to care for the children, while Jacob risks his health to get the farm going with help from local man Paul (Will Patton).

What Works Well: This is a semi-autobiographical nostalgic look back on childhood, based on the experiences of writer and director Lee Isaac Chung. The immigrant experience of hard work, determination, innovation, set-backs, and integration (here with the help of a church community) rings true, with the children experiencing a grand adventure filled with frustrations, uncertainty, and laughter. The rural Arkansas locations add laid-back and lyrical scenery. 

What Does Not Work As Well: After the premise is established and the family settles into their routines, the pace slows down to a grind and meaningful incidents become scarce and episodic. The thin material is unnecessarily stretched towards two hours, and the inconclusive ending just fades away rather than reaching for any meaningful resolutions.

Key Quote:

Jacob: They need to see me succeed at something for once.

Monica: For what? Isn't it more important for them to see us together?

Jacob: You go ahead and do what you want. Even if I fail, I have to finish what I started.

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