Review: Acting, Script Make 'Minari' Soar

"Minari" is one of the finest films in recent history. It's sincere, honest, personal filmmaking at its finest. The writing is brilliant, the performances are spot on and the directing is gracious and assured. It's heartbreaking and funny all at the same time. But don't take my word, don't listen to all the people who rave, don't pay attention to the list of accolades that have been leveled on it--see it for yourself, odds are you haven't yet.

Now you have the opportunity to get it on Blu-ray, which you should do. You won't regret the decision. Part of what makes this Blu-ray the medium of choice is the wonderful audio commentary featuring writer-director Lee Isaac Chung and Academy Award-winning actress Yuh-jung Youn.

"Minari" tell the story of a Korean-American family that moves to a remote and rugged Arkansas farm. It has always been the dream of Jacob Yi (Steven Yeun) to own a big farm in the U.S. and grow Korean vegetables for the ever growing Korean-American population. Now, President Regan's farm subsidies allow him to pursue this. But his wife Monica (Han Ye-ri) is hesitant to move from the city and into a mobile home deep in the Ozarks. They'll be far from a hospital, and her son David (Alan Kim) has a heart condition. The couple's turbulent arguments on the subject upset both David and Anne (Noel Kate Cho), their daughter.

The family reaches a settlement. They will continue to live on the farm as long as Monica's mother can move in and look after the kids. But the moment the strong-willed, frank-speaking grandmother Soon-ja (Youn Yuh-jung) walks into their rickety trailer the family knows they're in for it.

Chung draws heavily on his own personal experience growing up in Arkansas to form this intimate narrative. And the result is a work as tender and fragile as it is sly and funny. Much of this has to do with the script which is metaphoric without being overt and wickedly witty without ever becoming vulgar. Chung attributes this to the study of Willa Cather and Fyodor Dostoyevsky, but one can also see his fondness for the works of Wong Kar-wai in his depth of feeling, lush camera work and obscured narrative.

Ultimately though, the film soars because of its acting. Steven Yeun and Han Ye-ri are remarkably nuanced, communicating volumes in lines that are never spoken. And Yuh-jung layers a lifetime of experience into each moment she appears on screen. Chung was humble and wise enough to question his instincts and listen to Youn's suggestions, as she articulates in the commentary, and as we know, the result was an historic Academy Award for this deserving actress.

Blu-ray and DVD features include:

- Audio Commentary with Writer-Director Lee Isaac Chung and Actress Yuh-jung Youn
- Sowing Seeds: Making "Minari"
- Deleted Scenes

"Minari" comes to Blu-ray and DVD May 18.
https://www.lionsgate.com/movies/minari