A sobering look at the immigrant experience
Film Critic Jason Evans has made it his mission to give you everything you need to know about films in exactly 100 words (not 99, not 101). Here is his 100 word review of Minari.
The Premise: Set in the 1980s, the Korean American Yi family
has moved from California to a small plot of land in rural Arkansas. Jacob (Steven
Yeun) hopes to build a better life for his family by farming Korean vegetables
that he can take to market in a bigger city. His wife Monica (Han Ye-ri) is
skeptical and not happy in their new surroundings. Jacob hires a local man,
Paul (Will Patton), to help with the work even though Paul is a fervent
Christian who speaks in tongues who sees the devil everywhere he looks. When
Monica’s mother (Youn Yuh-jung) becomes sick, the family brings her over from
Korea to live with them and help watch the children. Every time it seems like
something good is going to happen for the Yi family, they suffer another setback.
Can Jacob and Monica survive all the cruel turns that fate has in store for
them?
The 100 Words: A gorgeous film with several standout
performances (Yuen and Youn Yuh-jung really shine), the question here is do you
want to spend 2 hours suffering alongside this hard-luck family. Though there
are some amusing moments of humor and the film is both intimate and real, I had
a hard time being drawn into the story. We are at a time when all of us are
dealing with hardship and this film probably won’t lift your spirits. Though deserving
of the many awards and nominations it is getting right now, the bottom line for
me is, Minari is a tough watch.
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