Despite the absence of a live cinema audience for the Glasgow Film Festival Opening Gala, watching the UK Premiere of Minari from my living room was a real treat; one that was able to deliver a grand night-in under the strangest of circumstances. Luckily, we had a projector at our disposal to recreate the Cinema 1 opening night atmosphere as best we could, with popcorn, wine and our riled expectations at the ready. The festival was introduced by Co-Directors Allison Gardner and Allan Hunter, followed by exclusive filmmaker intros from the vibrant programme’s long-list of anticipated premieres. The scene was set, the cab-sav was poured and the lights were down. Enter Lee Isaac Chung’s long awaited showpiece; Minari.
To say Minari was better than I imagined would be an understatement. What was delivered by Chung met my high conjectures with prominent style and heart, that surpassed any pre- expectations with a humbly reminiscent tonality. The assimilation of the Yi family is felt with every step-up and set-back, dragging us intermittently back to their Korean roots in cathartic cadence. Much like the minari plant of the story, the family must rebuild their lives on unfamiliar American soil and learn to thrive within their new environment. In doing so, they ‘forget everything’ about their cultural home, in the process of becoming a true American family.
Lee Isaac Chung portrays their absorption with humour and sentimentality, ensuring a child-like world where boring old Grandmas ‘smell like Korea’ and sweet, fizzy ‘mountain water’ is known for its healing properties. In the pre-screening interview director Chung suggests that the family unit is the protagonist of the film, though it is distinctly evident that he himself is the protagonist; in the incomparably adorable David. He is the heart and soul of the film, with the family’s hopeful pilgrimage a work of pure nostalgia through his uncorrupted eyes. To the Yi’s, America is presented as an alien utopia, filled with a cast of strange Yankee characters that reflect their integration process. Chung is effective in his exhibition of America as a confusing new land, where the perspective of his brilliant young lead takes centre stage.
This is seen particularly in the films distinct lack of racial pessimism, where all its American characters try to welcome the family in their own unorthodox ways, laced with what might be described as moments of seemingly dated racial stupidity. As through the eyes of a child, Minari’s America is exempt from our negative realities of immigration and focuses solely on the families journey as human beings. This is not a film about displacement, but rather a film about acceptance, which brings a hopeful and heartfelt perspective to a world nestled in the confines their isolated living rooms. Bravo!
By Heather Bradshaw
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