Minari

Minari ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Director: Lee Isaac Chung. Cast: Steven Yeun, Yeri Han, Yuh-jung Youn 

Beyond the seemingly ordinary rural life depicted here there’s a beautiful, gentle, warm and nuanced portrait of a Korean family in America. Winner of the first prize at the Sundance last February and produced by Brad Pitt, this is a beautifully acted film (Steven Yeun from the “walking Dead” TV series really deserves a mention), which is all about good (though flawed) people struggling do find their place in the “American Dream” and also trying to love each other and find peace within their family. It is touching, tender, empathetic but never sentimental or cheesy. It’s intimate and yet universal. It’s beautiful to look at but without resorting in fake sunsets or grand vistas. It is a very quiet film (in fact really quiet… I have to confess I missed a few lines here and there) and yet so full of life and details that can speak a thousand words even when it looks like it’s not saying anything. It is definitely a slow film, but I loved spending every second with these character and I began feeling very protective towards them and didn’t want anything bad to happen to any of them. Also… you know me… When you put a super-cute little boy in a film… I’ll melt in an instant. How refreshing and uplifting is to find a film where there are no bad people.

Unfortunately if you live in the UK and missed this at the London Film Festival (or if you’re not a Bafta Member) you may have to wait until next April to watch it. But I’m sure we will hear a lot about this at the next Oscars (the film was also on the list of Obama’s favourite films of 2020).