Minari takes us back to the 1980s and follows the fortunes of a Korean-American family moving from California to rural Arkansas in order to create a farm to cater for the Korean market. The premise is the classic tale of chasing the American Dream and an idyllic pastoral life leading to some predictable narrative beats and visual tropes (although the film is shot beautifully throughout). Minari, however, elevates the idea through the sheer skill of the writing and performances - it is a film full of small but hugely impactful moments, and the bigger story themes such as faith, isolation and triumph over adversity lead to some interesting and potentially tragic choices. Steven Yuen and Yeri Han are both superb as the couple whose fragile marriage is pushed quietly to breaking point - there is one particular extraordinary heartbreaking scene late in the movie in which both actors' performances are utterly sublime - and Yuh-Jung Youn is terrific as the divisive elderly-mother figure. Also noteworthy is Emile Mosseri's evocative music score that supports the film unobtrusively but powerfully. Minari is a beautiful, simple and sincere film that is a pleasure to enjoy.
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