Heartfelt family drama a win for Korean acting legend

REVIEW

Film: Minari Starring: Steven Yeun; Han Ye-ri; Alan Kim; Noel Kate Cho; Yuh-jung Youn; Will Patton Director: Lee Isaac Chung Running time: 1 hour 56 minutes Awards: Academy Award and BAFTA for Best Supporting Actress for Yuh-jung Youn; many others Showing at: Cinema Nova Verdict: Recommended

Minari is a soft, tender and loving film that showcases the hardships migrants experience.

It explores the pressure they feel when promising their families a better life and the lengths they will go to in order to provide for the ones they love.

While not as dramatically powerful nor memorable as some of the other Academy nominees for Best Picture this year, Minari is a win for Korean director Lee Isaac Chung and international films as a whole.

Young actor Alan S. Kim has been nominated for a host of awards for his role in the film.

Minari is, first and foremost, a Korean American tale told by the citizens of its country, exploring the migrant struggle and conflict they often endure while trying to obtain the American dream.

Steven Yeun (Burning, The Walking Dead, Okja) stars as a pressured father wanting to succeed and do right by his family, moving them from California to rural Arkansas.

He brings over his eccentric mother-in-law, played by South Korean legend Yuh-jung Youn who won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, to help look after their children.

The development of the relationship between young David and his grandmother is touching and only adds to Chung’s already intimate storytelling.

Emile Mosseri’s score is delightfully warm, accentuating the honest love the Yi family have for one another.

Those looking for a heartfelt family drama, and a story of togetherness, will surely appreciate Chung’s assured direction in his fourth feature film, solidifying him as a filmmaker to look out for.