{"id":6686,"date":"2021-02-15T12:23:00","date_gmt":"2021-02-15T19:23:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/?p=6686"},"modified":"2021-02-15T13:24:28","modified_gmt":"2021-02-15T20:24:28","slug":"minari-earnest-portrayal-of-immigrants-intricate-storyline-poignant-score-and-outstanding-cinematography","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/2021\/minari-earnest-portrayal-of-immigrants-intricate-storyline-poignant-score-and-outstanding-cinematography\/","title":{"rendered":"Minari * Earnest Portrayal of Immigrants -Intricate Storyline, Poignant Score and Outstanding Cinematography"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Minari.poster.jpg?resize=137%2C201&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6687\" width=\"137\" height=\"201\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>A Korean American family moves to an Arkansas farm in search of its own American dream. Amidst the challenges of this new life in the strange and rugged Ozarks, they discover the undeniable resilience of family and what really makes a home. KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Eshaan M. comments, \u201c<em>Minari<\/em>, a semi-autobiographical and earnest portrayal of an immigrant family, written and directed by Isaac Lee Chung, tugs at viewers\u2019 heartstrings and is surely a 2021 must-watch. The incredible starring cast, intricate storyline, poignant background score and perfectly punctuated cinematography all combine to make this Korean and English feature a beautiful masterpiece.\u201d &nbsp;See his full review below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Minari<br>By Eshaan M., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 14<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Minari<\/em>, a semi-autobiographical and earnest portrayal of an immigrant family, written and directed by Isaac Lee Chung, tugs at viewers\u2019 heartstrings and is surely a 2021 must-watch. The incredible starring cast, intricate storyline, poignant background score and perfectly punctuated cinematography all combine to make this Korean and English feature a beautiful masterpiece.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/HiZxIngwK3M?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright size-medium is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Minari.a.jpg?resize=225%2C118&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6691\" width=\"225\" height=\"118\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Minari.a.jpg?resize=300%2C157&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Minari.a.jpg?resize=1024%2C536&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Minari.a.jpg?resize=768%2C402&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Minari.a.jpg?w=1200&amp;ssl=1 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><figcaption>Steven Yeun appears in <em>Minari<\/em> by Lee Isaac Chung, an official selection of the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The name of the film, <em>Minari<\/em>, is another name for Korean watercress, which is key to the plotline. When the story begins the Yi family had immigrated to the U.S. from Korea years ago; Jacob (Steven Yeun) and Monica (Ye-Ri Han), parents to David (Alan Kim) and Anne (Noel Cho), are chicken sexers by profession. The family moves from California to the Ozarks for new opportunities. Specifically, Arkansas, where they are greeted by their new yet run-down mobile home and by Paul, an eccentric evangelist. As they settle into their new home, problems in the family begin to set in. In the name of bringing back a bit of the family spirit, Monica invites her mother, Soonja (Yuh-Jung Youn), to come and stay with them. The foul-mouthed, cards-playing, yet adorable <em>halmeoni <\/em>(grandma in Korean) arrives and totally shakes things up, bonding with the grandkids over growing minari, playing cards, and watching wrestling. When tragedy strikes, though, the family is put through a resilience test like never before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft size-medium is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Minari.b.jpg?resize=225%2C150&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6690\" width=\"225\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Minari.b.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Minari.b.jpg?resize=768%2C511&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Minari.b.jpg?w=1000&amp;ssl=1 1000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><figcaption>Steven Yeun appears in <i>Minari<\/i> by Lee Isaac Chung, an official selection of the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Lee Isaac Chung took inspiration from his own childhood growing up on his parents\u2019 plot of land to create this film; it\u2019s personal, and it shows. This film is a \u201cthe summer when everything changed\u201d type of story . Steven Yeun is, as always, masterful in encapsulating the minimal emotions and laconic speech of his character. Veteran Korean actress Yuh-Jung Youn is my other favorite in this film; her character\u2019s feisty-yet-lovable grandma persona truly fits. She\u2019s an unwavering icon of the South Korean film industry and her experience shows. Also, the cinematography team for <em>Minari<\/em>, as well as the editing team, have worked meticulously to create a seamless viewing experience that accentuates emotions, waits for just long enough to switch scenes, and adds the perfect level of drama to every scene. <em>Minar<\/em>i as a whole makes it feel like you\u2019re peeking into the Yi family\u2019s life\u2014it\u2019s breathtaking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Sundance Award-winning film <em>Minari<\/em> is a priceless portrait of resilience within family, of sticking together even through the hardest times, and of enjoying the smallest things in life. Minari has some mild language and there are certain religious elements that parents should watch out for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I give <em>Minari<\/em> 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 11 to 18, plus adults. <em>Minari<\/em> releases in theaters on February 12, 2021, and On-Demand February 26, 2021.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Korean American family moves to an Arkansas farm in search of its own American dream. Amidst the challenges of this new life in the strange and rugged Ozarks, they discover the undeniable resilience of family and what really makes a home. KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Eshaan M. comments, \u201cMinari, a semi-autobiographical and earnest portrayal of an immigrant family, written and directed by Isaac Lee Chung, tugs at viewers\u2019 heartstrings and is surely a 2021 must-watch. The incredible starring cast, intricate storyline, poignant background score and perfectly punctuated cinematography all combine to make this Korean and English feature a beautiful masterpiece.\u201d  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[15],"tags":[2808,2806,2803,2811,1783,963,470,2814,2792,2813,2812,2809,2799,2798,2805,2804,2802,2797,636,1166,2800,2807,2810,2801],"class_list":["post-6686","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-feature-film-reviews","tag-a24-movie","tag-alan-s-kim-2","tag-alan-s-kim","tag-american-dream","tag-by-kids-for-kids","tag-celebrities","tag-drama","tag-drama-movie","tag-entertainment-news","tag-film-score","tag-golden-globes","tag-hollywood","tag-jeremy-kleiner","tag-lee-isaac-chung","tag-minari-2020","tag-minari-film","tag-minari-movie","tag-minari-trailer","tag-movie","tag-movie-reviews","tag-steven-yeun","tag-steven-yeun-you-are","tag-sundance","tag-yeri-han"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paS5I2-1JQ","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6686","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6686"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6686\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6693,"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6686\/revisions\/6693"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6686"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6686"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6686"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}