The film’s title refers to the (water dropwort), a resilient Korean herb. Soon-ja plants it by a creek on the farm, explaining that it grows anywhere and even purifies the water it lives in. This serves as a powerful metaphor for the Yi family:
The film introduces us to the Yi family, who have just arrived in rural Arkansas from California. The father, Jacob (Steven Yeun), is a man possessed by a vision. He has moved his family to a plot of land in the Ozarks to start a farm, specifically growing Korean vegetables for the burgeoning Korean market in the region. His wife, Monica (Yeri Han), is skeptical and fearful, worrying about the isolation and the lack of stability for their two young children, Anne and David. MINARI -2020-
When the nominations for the 93rd Academy Awards were announced, one film stood out as both an underdog and a quiet giant. arrived not with the boom of explosions or the gloss of big-budget CGI, but with the soft rustle of a grandmother’s handkerchief and the muddy footsteps of a family chasing the American Dream. The film’s title refers to the (water dropwort),
Youn Yuh-jung’s performance as Soon-ja is a masterpiece of subversion. In Western cinema, grandmothers are sweet, baking cookies, and soft. Soon-ja swears, watches wrestling, and pees in a plastic bottle because the house doesn’t have a bathroom. She teaches David how to play cards and then loses on purpose. When she suffers a stroke, the role reversal is heartbreaking. Youn Yuh-jung won the Oscar in 2021, and her speech ("I don't know how to win over Brad Pitt") remains one of the Academy’s best moments. Her performance is the heart of . The father, Jacob (Steven Yeun), is a man
Keywords: Minari 2020, Steven Yeun, Youn Yuh-jung, Oscar Winner 2021, A24, Lee Isaac Chung, Korean American Cinema.