Minari
Movie, 2020, The 2020s, Set in Arkansas, 1980s
Minari is #21 of 37 in release order and #21 of 37 in chronological order in the A24.
The story
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.
Minari recap
Minari (2020) follows the Yi family, Korean immigrants who leave California in the 1980s so the father can start a vegetable farm on a plot of Arkansas land. Lee Isaac Chung writes and directs, drawing on his own childhood. Jacob Yi (Steven Yeun) wants to grow Korean produce for Dallas grocers; his wife Monica (Han Ye-ri) hates the mobile home and the distance from a hospital, since their son David (Alan Kim) has a heart murmur. Both parents sex chicks at a hatchery while their daughter Anne (Noel Kate Cho) minds David. Jacob digs his own well and hires Paul (Will Patton), a devout Korean War veteran who drags a cross along the road on Sundays. Monica's mother Soon-ja (Youn Yuh-jung) arrives from Korea, swearing and playing cards, and David decides she is not a real grandmother, until she plants minari by the creek with him and wins him over. The film stands alone.
Minari ending explained
Minari ends with the family together after nearly breaking apart. Soon-ja has a stroke, the well runs dry, and on a trip to Oklahoma City, where a doctor finds David's heart improving, Jacob and Monica agree to separate. They return to find that Soon-ja, burning rubbish, has set the barn of packed crops on fire. Jacob and Monica run in to save the produce and end up saving each other. David and Anne stop their grandmother from wandering off and bring her home. Later Jacob lets a water diviner choose a new well site, and he and David pick the minari Soon-ja planted. Youn won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.
Post-credits scenes
No. Minari has no mid- or post-credits scene.
Where to watch Minari
Minari isn't on a US streaming service right now. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 7.4/10, Rotten Tomatoes 98%
Where it fits
- Release order: after Uncut Gems, before The Green Knight.
- Chronological order: after Uncut Gems, before The Green Knight.
Cast
- Steven Yeun as Jacob
- Han Ye-ri as Monica
- Youn Yuh-jung as Soonja
- Will Patton as Paul
- Alan Kim as David
- Noel Kate Cho as Anne
- Darryl Cox as Mr. Harlan
- Esther Moon as Mrs. Oh
- Ben Hall as Dowsing Dan
- Eric Starkey as Randy Boomer
- Jacob Wade as Johnnie
- James Carroll as Brother Roy
Directed by Lee Isaac Chung.