REVIEW: Minari

Minari is an A24 film set to release on February 12, 2021. Written and directed be Lee Isaac Chung, the film is a semi-autobiographical telling of Chung’s own childhood, following a family of Korean immigrants who move to rural Arkansas during the 1980s. The film stars Steven Yeun and Han Ye-ri as the parents, Alan Kim and Noel Kate Cho as the children, and Youn Yuh-jung as the grandmother.

Minari is a family drama at heart, and it follows the perspective of multiple characters, rather than solely the perspective of the little boy who represents Chung. This is essentially what makes the film so successful and so moving. We see the point of view of a father who wants his kids to see him succeed at something, and we understand why he moved his family out to this tiny farm, and why he is so determined to stay and make a living there. We also see the mother’s outlook on the situation, and how her husband’s promise to always protect and provide for the family seems to become overshadowed by his obsession with the farm. And we see the kids grapple with their entire life being turned upside down, their parents fighting because of it, and having to adjust to a rural lifestyle where no one looks like them, and also having to welcome grandma into their tiny home. Finally, we see grandma, who arrives to the family farm later, but is immediately able to sense the tension and simultaneously empathize with the struggle to feel at home. We see grandma provide a sense of solace through her own strangely foul-mouthed yet tender ways.

This is really an ensemble film, and every performance is convincing and powerful. Under Chung’s direction, Yeun plays a firm but loving father, one who is still likable though the audience cannot fully back all of his decisions. Ye-ri is not a nagging mother; instead, she is quiet but determined, and she is not reduced to the fact she is a married woman with children. The kids are a joy to watch, with their realistic sibling relationship that involves fighting, but also trying to help each other understand their new life and why it’s such a strain on their parents. And grandma is a scene-stealer, with her love of Mountain Dew and tendency to always speak her mind.

Above all, it’s clear that Chung poured so much love and care into his film. And though he tells a story that he must have been too young to fully understand, the way he chose to not only revisit his own experiences but also those of his parents turns his film into something more easily understood and much more universal. In reflecting on how he came to this understanding, Chung says,

“just as [Yeun’s character] is trying to farm and to chase this dream, I felt like for many years I’ve been irresponsibly chasing a dream of filmmaking. So something within understanding my dad’s pursuit and then also the conflicts that can come from that. And then also understanding the perspective of what it’s like for my daughter to be watching what I’m doing and my wife’s concerns and all these things. I felt it was helping me to see my parents in a different way. Then when my parents saw [the film], to see that they felt I had seen them. The way that they responded was ‘You understand us; you see us.’ And to me, that was incredibly moving.”

PREVIEW: Minari

Minari is an upcoming A24 and Plan B Entertainment film. Starring Steven Yeun, Han Ye-ri, and Youn Yuh-Jung, Minari follows a Korean-American family that moves to a farm in Arkansas in hopes of achieving their own American Dream. The film has premiered at several film festivals to critical acclaim, with nods towards director Lee Isaac Chung as well as actress Youn Yuh-jung. The film will not be released until February 12, but it is currently available as a limited release – I will be screening it through Film at Lincoln Center. I’m excited to see more foreign language films making their way towards American audiences, and I’m really looking forward to seeing Minari!

REVIEW: The Lighthouse

A24’s newest film follows two lighthouse keepers in 1890s New England. Director Robert Eggers chose to shoot with vintage cameras and a constricted aspect ratio, all in black and white. To further enhance the setting, Eggers took great care to ensure all of the dialogue was period-accurate. As a result, the audience truly feels like they are on the island with the two characters. The Lighthouse is unique in the sense that it is more about the viewing experience rather than its technical elements.

That being said, while the film successfully brought the audience into the story, it was almost too successful. As the film progresses, the characters spiral more and more into madness, and it is easy to feel lost and overwhelmed. The film feels stagnant while Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe spout pure lunacy at each other and envision inexplicable and disturbing images. It is clear that the characters are developing more and more towards insanity, but it feels like the story is not progressing at all.

The issue with the pacing and plot development largely arises from the fact that the film is very predictable. Dafoe’s character often speaks in cryptic superstitions and warnings that are actually not at all cryptic, instead laying out what will happen in the film. The viewer knows exactly in what direction the story will progress, but it takes the film a while to build up to the climax. The viewer is left feeling restless and impatient, and the just-under-two-hour runtime feels much, much longer.

Simply put, watching The Lighthouse is exhausting. I personally would rather be exhausted by a film because I was emotionally invested in it rather than because I was also being driven towards hysteria. Still, it is very impressive that Robert Eggers was able to craft such an engaging and enthralling experience. Both Dafoe and Pattinson give masterful performances as well, as Dafoe expertly weaves comedy with authority and intensity. He starts at 100%, and ends at 100%. On the other hand, Pattinson starts with a more subtle performance, one that hints at an edge to his character. It is how he is able to underplay what is deep inside his character that makes the moment when his character snaps so enrapturing.

Ultimately, The Lighthouse is not for everyone, but I would still recommend seeing it. It is a very unique kind of experience, and it would be a shame to miss out on it.

PREVIEW: The Lighthouse

A24’s newest film, The Lighthouse, stars Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson as two lighthouse keepers in the 1890s. The film follows their descent into madness after a storm strands the two on an isolated, mysterious island. The film has received critical acclaim, particularly towards both performances by Dafoe and Pattinson, the black-and-white cinematography, and the direction by Robert Eggers.

I have been looking forward to this film ever since the first trailer dropped. I am already aware of Dafoe’s range as an actor, having seen him in both Spider-Man and A24’s The Florida Project. But, this will be the first time I have Pattinson in anything besides Harry Potter and Twilight, and I am interested in seeing how he will showcase his own range.

Eggers’s directorial debut, the Witch, is available to stream on Netflix.