This really is one of those great American dream films that come around every once in a while. The thing that really makes it work is how simple it is — a man wants to build a farm to help his family and is so focused on it he splinters what he has with his family. Still his determination and work ethnic is admirable. Everyone seems to be talking about Steven Yuen in this. While he is a great actor I wasn’t moved by his performance. Instead I loved what Han Ye-ri brought to the table. She was really phenomenal. Youn Yuh-jung and David Kim are the other standouts of the cast. Youn Yuh-jung reminds me so much of other vibrant elder Asian performances such as Zhao Shu-zhen in THE FAREWELL. Her relationship with David so wonderful to watch blossom. Will Patton also has never been this good and really becomes this character. The ending of the film is also so heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. This is such a better and more finessed version of what something like MARRIAGE STORY could have become. I bet the reason that sets it apart is that the family in MINARI are blue collar farmers instead of highfalutin artists.
