In our continuing coverage of Oscar-nominated films, guest reviewer themovieguy_ng has a look at Minari, nominated for six Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Original Score, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay.
Set in the 1980s Arkansas, Minari was written and directed by Lee Isaac Chung, who wrote this based on his personal experiences.
If there’s one thing I know about Korean films (even though this is billed as an American film) is that they always deliver outstanding acting performances, especially when the dialogue is in their native tongue.
The acting in this movie is world-class. I couldn’t help but admire the talent of 8-year-old Alan Kim (see poster) and the excellence of veteran Korean actress, Youn Yuh-Jung, who both played David and David’s grandma, respectively. Together, there were the heart of this film.
This is a film predominantly in Korean language, but it is very American, which makes it more relatable. An immigrant family trying to make a living and live the American dream is something even Nigerians can relate to.
Minari is a good film. It is touching and full of emotions and emotional connections. It has poignant family messages, and it was flawlessly acted and exceptionally delivered by the entire cast. This film was meticulously made.
The character development is solid, which contributes immensely to the success of this film. Each character is spelt out in terms of personality, interests and motivations, making the audience absolutely invested in the characters.
Unfortunately, Minari is not one of my favourite films of the year and I’ll explain why…
The pacing is incredibly slow, which is usually not a problem for me because I’ll patiently wait for an ending with worthy pay-off……and that’s where Minari dropped the ball, in my opinion. It started well, built up, stretched the narrative, and then wrapped it up with a rather regular ending.
Don’t get me wrong, it does hit you with something big and unexpected, which I thought was great screenwriting, but the follow up after that didn’t hit the right notes. I wanted more, I expected more.
Overall, Minari is a good film to watch and a worthy contender at the Oscars this Sunday, especially in the acting categories.
TMG RATING: 6.8
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