Oh, Mr. Brad Pitt, finally. Nice to meet you. Where were you while we were filming in Tulsa? Youn breathlessly started her acceptance speech.
She then schooled everyone on how to properly say her name, including some of the common mispronunciations, before smilingly adding, but tonight, you are all forgiven. I cannot believe I m here. OK, let me pull myself together, she said, briefly covering her face with her hands. Tremendous thanks to the Academy members who voted for me.
She thanked her Minari co-stars, telling the audience, We became a family. Above all, Lee Isaac Chung, without him, I couldn t be here tonight. He was our captain and my director, she said.
Minari Tells the Story of a Family Trying to Make It in America
The film is up for six Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director. Apr 25, 2021
The title comes from the herb minari, a resilient plant that can grow just about anywhere. Set in 1980s Arkansas, Lee Isaac Chung’s semi-autobiographical Oscar-nominated film follows the travails of the Yi family’s dream to cultivate a land of one’s own during a time in Reagan-era America where 30,000 Koreans moved to the United States every year. I took the metaphor of resiliency as a cue to steel myself for the possibility of the Yi’s looming bankruptcy, or run-ins with racist white people, or worse. Instead, what unfolds is a gentle drama about the memories of a boy not-so-quietly observing his parents’ troubled marriage, and, more broadly, the family’s place in the constellation of American imperialism.
"Minari" is a deeply personal film, and quality that's evident in writer-director Lee Isaac Chung's reminiscence about his childhood. Focusing on a Korean immigrant family, the universal themes come through loud, clear and ultimately with considerable power, even if the movie's languid pace works against it.
The good news is they deserve the accolades they are getting. All eight feature at least one Oscar-nominated performance. Seven have screenplays strong enough to be nominated as well.
And if you like movies that speak to the times, they tackle some of the major issues of recent months â racial conflict, economic and social collapse in the US, the struggles of immigrants, toxic male behaviour â with a creative boldness.
The favourite to win is Chloe Zhaoâs
Nomadland but, after a year in which nothing seemed to go as planned, an upset is definitely possible.
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