Grandma? What does pee taste like?

Continuing my trip up The Guardian's Top 51 Films of 2021

#15 : Minari

Infused with a wonderful sentimentality, Lee Isaac Chung’s fictionalised account of his rural Arkansas childhood explores the growing pains of a family farm

I've heard this is good, but not got round to watching it - and let's be honest, I never would have.  So it's good that I've been made to - I'm expecting to like it.

And well, I did but I didn't.  It's very much a tale of a family following the American dream, but you'd have to say a Korean family trying to get by in rural America feels like they're going to fail, which results in EXACTLY the sort of tension I REALLY don't like in films.  I just don't like to see people let down by circumstances beyond their control (and yes, I know it's only a film)

The first part of the film shows the family moving from California to Arkansas for a mix of reasons, not all of which they're necessarily admitting to themselves but they're not expecting what they get.  Whilst slowly adapting to their new life they decide that moving Grandma over from Korea is their best move and her arrival introduces a different dynamic, linking back to the parent's past before they came to America and also introducing more rebellion from all characters.

And I think that's all I'm going to tell you, other than saying that the expected unfortunate situation does show up (just as I was thinking that maybe it wouldn't), but it turns up from a very unexpected source and is really well handled.  The plotting of the film was a bit slow in the middle and I'm not entirely convinced I would have stayed to the end under normal circumstances, but I'm glad I did.

It's all very nicely acted - Stephen Yeun (in his second appearance on the list after this) and Han Ye-ri are both very good as the parents - wanting their best for their kids and themselves, but at the end of their tethers.  Alan Kim is charming as David, their son and Noel Kate Cho is perfectly fine as his sister, Ann but she was under-used - I appreciate the film was a version of the director's childhood, but his sister must have done something worth reporting!  And Yoon Yuh-jung is obviously good as the grandma - you don't win an Oscar (the first for a Korean actor) without having done at least a passable job.  Will Patton also gets a name check for his fine performance in a very peculiar role.

The film has an interesting take on racism - it's easy to assume (and I did) that the Korean incomers are going to experience it and the film sets itself up on several occasions for you to be ready for them to receive both barrels.  But the locals are nothing but accepting and curious and it's the family themselves that need to become more accepting of others (and themselves).  Which strikes me as probably somewhat rose-tinted, but I'm happy to run with it.

The film is also beautiful - lots of lovely shots of landscape and nature, with the aforementioned "unfortunate situation" being particularly impressively done.  The film was a bit long for me though and, as previously stated, a bit slow in the middle section - but, if anything, I could have handled the final section being stretched out a bit more, so I'm really pleased I stuck with it to the end.  I'm not sure I found the film quite as good as the praise that was heaped upon it, but it was certainly a very watchable film with relatable characters and some great performances.

At the time of writing, it's available to watch on Sky or to rent on most of the other platforms - there are far worse options available to you out there.

#16 - One you need to be in the mood for
#14 - A surprisingly bearable film