Minari - Desire to change lifeReleased in early 2021 and nominated in 6 Oscar categories, it has created more buzz for Asian cinema in general after the success ofParasite - Parasite2019.
Set in the 80s in Arkansas (USA) - a place known as the "Land of Opportunity" because it was ideal for immigrants to start a new life. Written and portrayed by director Lee Isaac Chung, Minari brings viewers a nostalgic feeling because of memories that have never been experienced but are still real, gentle but profound.
The film was nominated in 6 categories for the 2021 Oscars.
Simmer peacefully
Told with a gentle yet sharp touch, Minari quietly draws viewers into the mundane, trivial details of family life without manipulating the audience with any exaggerated dramatic formula. More than simply a “lens of immigrants in America”, the film goes beyond a simple story.characters trying to adapt to harsh environments; those are the desires that are always waiting to be touched, the lingering pain that cannot be expressed in words, the profound lesson of love, and also the harsh reflection of contemporary society.
Director Lee Isaac Chung's autobiographical film focuses on the small details, fully depicting the difficult yet peaceful and poetic life of a Korean immigrant family in the 80s. We can find ourselves gasping for breath when watching the scene where David -the boy has heart problemsCrossing a field that suddenly stops, then droops. Or the feeling of gentleness under the image of minari (celery) growing full of life. The footage is not grand but concise and poetic; let us feel the whole heart, with sincerity.
Director Lee Isaac Chung and the cast of Minari
Aspirations
At the beginning of the film, the audience can easily see that Jacob's eyes are filled with ambitions about the "American dream"; but after going through hardships and difficulties, he has lost the sparkle that once existed in his eyes. Because of his reckless and somewhat conservative nature, he rushed into his dream and forgot about his family; making us wonder if what he is trying to build is for his loved ones or just for his own dream.
Many people confuse their good intentions with excuses for vanity and selfishness. And in the process of building our ambitions, we sometimes forget the core reason why we started.
Going through many events in the journey of building our ambitions, sometimes we forget the values that made us start.
Jacob is a wonderful man, a model husband and father; but he does not love his wife - Monica, as much as she loves him. Monica has not really found her biggest dream in life, she packed up and went to America just because she listened to her newlywed husband's dreams, painted a rosy story of herAmerican Dream. She sees her husband's ambition as her own. A common way of thinking among many Asian women: "If you want, I will always be behind you to support you, let's do it together!". Until they have children, raising and caring for them accidentally becomes the biggest ambition and responsibility in their lives.
Many Asian women are so burdened by the responsibilities of husband and children that they forget what their dreams are.
Bitter taste in marriage
Different from the movieMarriage StoryLingering and heartbreaking, marriage in Minari is smoldering and haunting.
The beginning of love is all about passion, connection, and constant communication. Monica and Jacob's relationship was passionate, but then things slowly fell into disarray.
Sharing gradually turns into private contemplation.
Monica is alone and miserable in the middle of nowhere in a foreign land - and alone in her relationship with her husband. Jacob struggles to shoulder the responsibility.food, clothing, and moneytake the form ofpaganin a country. Although not expressed clearly, Monica's eyes and attitude showed concern for her husband's aspirations as well as the stability of the family.
Not feelings, but trust is the core value in every relationship.
What's more heartbreaking is when children witness their parents fighting - putting up with each other; they're trying to send a message.Don't fightin despair. The detail has spoken of the fear and helplessness of children when facing the problems of adults. Although it is not within their responsibility and understanding, it is still an event and forms psychological scars on every child.
Children still have to endure and go through their parents' quarrels even though the responsibility is not theirs.
In every relationship, instead of choosing to break up and tear each other apart, accepting to understand each other and coming to a common voice is really necessary, it is more important than anything else.other personal needs. It is comforting, understanding, and supporting each other rather than dumping all the pain on the other person; because everyone is hurt and needs to be healed.
Everyone has their own problems, it is important to understand each other to find common ground.
Warmth from within each person
Veteran actress Youn Yuh-jung is completely deserving of the award.Oscars 2021 golden statue. Minari is initially a quiet story; it feels almost like a whisper in our ears, at times. When the grandmother character - Soonja (Youn Yuh-jung) appears, it seems to breathe a bold and green wind into the story. In the eyes of the grandchildren, Sooja is not a "real grandmother" because Sooja can't cook, likes to play cards and swears, but has an unpleasant "grandmother smell". In reality, not everyone has a gentle and gentle grandmother like the stereotype.
Because she doesn't have the qualities of a "classic" grandmother, Sooja is considered not a "real grandma".
Through the small but sincere things, Sooja quietly convinced the audience to clearly feel the warmth of her grandmother, the love of her relatives. I burst into tears because of Sooja's hoarse, whispering voice when she lulled David to sleep; the sound made me sink into the memory of being lulled to sleep by my mother and being patted on the back - a memory that adult life had made me forget. Every rhythm and color in the film filled the audience with emotions, making us want to scream, but then had to hold it back, in a smoldering manner. Perhaps because of that, the person David connected with the most was Sooja, not his parents; her rudeness but simplicity made the introverted grandchild gradually open up.
The audience can feel the nostalgic feeling of a child far from home, far from home from Monica, thanks to the very simple things from her mother - Sooja. Ordinary flavors like chili powder, fish sauce or the smell of homeland will also make the person far away feel heartbroken.
An interesting character that highlights Jacob's family's exile life is the Western neighbor Paul - considered weird and eccentric, but warmer and kinder than many people.dignityout there. It is not race, culture, age, nor class, status, wealth or poverty; but kindness that speaks of the quality of a person. Warmth and kindness are everywhere, in everyone; it is just whether we choose to influence our behavior or not.
Kindness speaks volumes about a person's character.
The damage from prejudice
To becomea man, the responsibility of providing for the whole family weighs heavily on Jacob's shoulders. This is shown through many allusive details.toxic masculinity, when answering his son David about why the baby roosters were burned:Their meat is not tasty, nor can they lay eggs, they are of little use. So you and Dad try to be useful!. That burden is deeply ingrained in the subconscious of men, from generation to generation; perhaps that is why Jacob's nature becomes decisive and indifferent to outside opinions.
Jacob's conservatism is inversely proportional to Monica's voice; all decisions in the family are made by Jacob without consulting his wife. Conflicts are quite common in Asian families, the resentment from both sides is suppressed in the dark, escalating and causing conflict - even though the love between the two is still pure and passionate. If we remove the prejudices from within the family, even the prejudices aboutreal grandma,Each member will easily share responsibility, care for and heal each other.
Jacob is obsessed with toxic masculinity and projects it onto his son.
Prejudice also leads to a long-standing problem -racismWayItsubtly told through the lens of Asian immigrants; Minari doesn’t show outright racism, but it does leave viewers with a heart-wrenching sense of unease. Especially recently, the movement#StopAsianHateis widely spread in Western countries, where people of Asian origin are not really equal (and are even more hated because of the idea "Covid comes from Asia!?"). That prejudice even exists in Asian countries, where white people who live and work often receive preferential treatment, respect, and a higher standard of living - compared to native people (with the same level and capacity).
Actress Youn Yuh Jung was interviewed about what Brad Pitt "smells like"
Do humans have the same origin?
Many studies show that the ancestors of modern humans - Homo Sapiens - originated in Africa. Sapiens have migrated and spread across continents, environmental factors in different places change the evolutionary process (body type, skin color, eye color...), (according to Sapiens - A Brief History of Humankind). Therefore, no race is inferior to any other race; that is "diversity". Prejudices deep in culture and society have unintentionally hurt people. And, those who are hurt hurt others.
Minari is a Way of Life
Grandmother Sooja said to her grandson David when sowing the minari seed:It grows everywhere, like a weed, so anyone can pick and eat it. Rich or poor, everyone can enjoy it, and it also helps us stay healthy…
Minari is a vegetable commonly found in Korean dishes. When planted, it usually dies in the first year and grows vigorously the following year, and this vegetable also cleans the water and soil around it, director Lee shared:Perhaps there is no more perfect comparison for this story of the American dream.
The film is a richly structured but restrained story, captivating us with its tenderness and then overwhelming us in its final moments. Lee Isaac Chung builds his characters slowly, allowing us to feel attached to them and then skillfully enveloping them with genuine emotion without us even realizing it. The film gently touches our hearts without resorting to trickery.
The image of Sooja at the end of the film haunted many viewers. The ending was a perfect imperfection.
Perfectly imperfect!
MINARI, MINARI, MINARI, WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL, MINARI...
