People weave stories based on memories from their past. Minari movie feels as if it is taken from one similar leaflet. It is a movie that reflects life, which has its ups and downs. It is almost like a page helmed from your own life’s experience. If you want to watch a movie about life, of livelihood, about survival in an alien land, which I am pretty sure a lot of people could relate to, Minari is the movie for you.
Even if you don’t consider it a piece of memorabilia, it forms itself on the precipice of survival. In a way, it is built for outsiders who are trying to fit in. It gives you that feeling of unsurety, of thrill, of excitement, of despondency and despair, in its 1 hr 55 min of its alluring runtime.
Of Memoribilia and Reminiscence
This movie took me on a trip to my childhood especially with the relationship it depicted of a child with his grandma. David’s disapproval of his grandmother and then, later on, fitting into her regime like her very own shadow, explores a relationship in the most poignant and beautiful ways possible.
Minari movie took me back in time in the form of anecdotes where I often try to fit myself in on the backcloth of my maternal grandfather. It bears semblance to my grandma’s mannerisms around us, her countless stories and songs that resound to date whenever I think about it.
When you are a kid, you are perceptive of a lot of things. You read a person for who they really are. You study them completely, examine their petty habits, and eventually forming a picture of your perception.
Just like David, there were many things that I used to carry against my grandmother when I didn’t know her well, and when I did there were countless things that I absolutely adored too. The latter were deeply rooted images of her being an actual person, that I tried perusing her as a human being. It was admirable. She did a lot of funny stuff which was reciprocated, and I absolutely adored being able to put a smile on her face in her otherwise glum life.
The Family in Minari Movie
Steven Yeun‘s character Jacob is an exemplary portrait of a father that a child often paints through his beady eyes. His desire to make things work, to make everything work, to not lose hope, and always keep trying is practically what every man aspires for.
A father being hard on their children is a concept a lot of us are familiar with. On those rare occasions when it is the call of the hour, Jacob scolds David. But David played by Alan S. Kim is absolutely adorable, and you can’t help feel sorry for the kid on those occasions. His sister Anne Noel Cho is akin to an image you would often carry of a big sister or a brother who is there guiding you all along.
The tension in the family is leaning on Jacob’s shoulder owing to his persistence. Despite all odds running against him, he doesn’t lose hope. The only problem is that not everyone shares the same enthusiasm. His wife Monica played by Yeri Han is homesick. She misses her old home and rues the very idea of staying in an alien land away from her people. Her strong inclination towards home is often the reason why she and Jacob end up with their horns locked.
The Grandmother
Yuh-Jung Youn as Soonja, David and Anne’s grandmother is a revolution. Her inclusion into the story branches out many cool subplots. Apart from the fact that she makes you worry about her health, she also entertains you by being absolutely blunt. She blurts out every now and then whatever she feels like, makes her bit truly enjoyable by simply being herself.
With David, it is difficult to accept this big change. A person meddling with his life, especially one who doesn’t behave like a grandma is supposed to. Driven by his own innocence he wants to hurt her in any way possible. But then being with her would also stow some great memories, evident from the title of the movie crafted based on her obsession with the plant – Minari. In the long run, it is not hard to see how he would rue hurting or hating her in the first place.
That’s how it is with people. When you meet new people and you don’t like them, there would be denial at first, but when you give them time and lace them with acceptance, you end up realizing they aren’t bad after all.
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The Climax of Movie Minari (Spoilers)
Minari is the very reflection of life. It bases itself on the very ups and downs that we find our way. Normally, if a thing goes awry who do we blame it on? The person who does it, that’s like a general perception.
As an audience, or maybe from the eyes of David, a lot of us must be blaming the poor Grandma – Soonja for ruining the whole family’s livelihood in one single sweep of chance when she ends up causing the fire toward the end of the movie. But if you really think about it, her intentions weren’t bad. It was more like an accident.
Accidents happen, that’s the very part of life. You have to accept it and move on. A person works all his life, puts all his fortune in a box, a thief ends up stealing it. Who are you going to put it on? Who are you going to blame? It’s chance. It’s fate.
When an accident, like the one with the Grandma, happens, you already know how bad the person is already feeling, you cannot and shouldn’t blame them for it.
Minari poses this very existential question and leaves us seeking an answer deep down in our soul, as it seems to finish in one of the most gratifying ways – With the memories of Minari, you remember Soonja for all the good things. That’s how you should remember people when they are long gone, for all the good things they did.
Soonja planted Minari – an East Asian plant that the family would benefit from in the long run, and that was her gift, that was the good deed that she would be remembered by. David’s innocent memory would be that of his walks with his grandmother to plant Minari, and the song she sang while planting it. Jacob’s memorabilia would be Soonja’s crucial part in his life while they were trying to nestle in a foreign land. Similarly, Monica’s memory of her would be the care she bestowed upon her.
Now ask this question again, do you blame her for it? It is more like a tragedy that happened in their lives that nearly shook the foundation they were trying to build. But the family moved on after a point in time. They overcome that too. Think about all the tragedies that happened in your lives too, and how you overcame that and moved on in life.
The Final Verdict
Lee Isaac Chung has written and directed Minari and there is not an ounce of doubt you feel while watching the movie that this could have easily been a big piece of his life. The direction is on point and almost immediately transports you with the Koreans into the 80s. You are basically living their life with them.
Watch this movie from the perspective of David and you feel a childhood kicking in, stories being formed. You live and laugh, despair and hope, lose, in short, lead a livelihood to find your place in a foreign land. It is a movie that speaks of home and will take you there.
Minari
Pros
- Takes you back in time
- The Very Reflection of Life
- Great Direction
Cons
- Screenplay
