No. 12 (2021) MINARI February 6th.

 

Film No. 12  (2021)  February 6th.  11:00 AM.  Cinema 1  LUNA Leederville.

"They need to see me succeed at something for once"(Jacob discusses their plight with Monica as she questions their decision to persist against the odds).

It must be a gratifying experience to make a movie of the quality of Minari. So when the movie is also a profound memory of childhood, that gratification must be magnified. Lee Isaac Chung has created a small masterpiece here and it is all about the small moments. After all it's the small moments which often mean the most to people as they recall their childhood.

Jacob (Steven Yeun) is seeking a simpler, but at the same time more fulfilling, life for his family. It's the eighties. The Reagan years, where greed is good and Americans craved wealth. Creating a farm out of the fields of Arkansas, living in a house standing on blocks and wheels, finding water then growing food is all a part of Jacob's dream. 

Jacob and Monica (Veri Han) are immigrants. They are new to a traditional U.S. rural lifestyle so the thought of prejudices and alienation might become key elements to a drama like this. Chung's memories, seen through the eyes of David (Alan Kim), are pure, thoughtful and uncomplicated. Key characters, like grandma Soonja (Yuh Jung Yong) fill Minari with the small moments so important in Chung's memories.

In a recent interview Chung speaks of his father's relationship with a worker the family grew close to. Will Patton plays Paul, Jacobs trusted assistant in Minari and despite the eccentricities of Paul's religious beliefs the loyalty that binds Paul to Jacob over time is life affirming. 

Could Minari be the sleeper for a Best Picture award just like Parasite of only a year ago? Maybe, especially in a year when the world is looking for a gentle pleasure with not a nasty person in view! Personally, I enjoyed Minari more than I did Parasite. 11GUMS.