Minari

Before the Oscar nominations come out, here's my tip of one of the most talked-about films up for nominations. Minari is a feature film made by American director Lee Isaac Chung, who is the son of Korean immigrants. The film tells a story of such an immigration in the 1980s, following a family of four who move to a rural area to achieve their American dream. 

(Just because they're so beautiful, a few more film posters; more film stills further down in this post.)

Ever since Minari was shown at Sundance in 2020 and won the Audience Award and the Grand Prize of the Jury, it has been highly anticipated by film fans. Since then, it has gone on to win 82 awards and garner  195 further nominations (current numbers on March 13th), among them also a Golden Globe for the Best Foreign Language Film. Naturally, it is expected to get further recognition at the Oscars and hopefully also some success at the box office (where cinemas are open or reopening).

In my opinion, Minari fully deserves all its praise and more - it is certainly one of the loveliest films I've seen in the last 12 months. The story of Jacob, Anne and their children, in the 1980s in America, rings true and is reminiscent of many fates of hard workers searching for their lucky break. In the case of this family, they take considerable risk to improve their financial situation, which is even more important because their young son David is in need of medical treatments due to a heart issue. The hardships certainly are reminiscent of great American classics such as John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men, not only in their agricultural American dream but also in their tone and tragic scope. Besides the great writing and touching story, the wonderful acting by all cast members, the cinematography and the stunning soundtrack make this film into an unforgettable experience.

One of the main points of discussion is the category in which Minari is getting recognition. A similar controversy revolved around the film Roma by Alfonso Cuarón, some years ago, which in the end was nominated not only for best Foreign Language Film but also for Best Picture, winning the former category as well as Best Cinematography and Director. This was very unusual for a film entirely in Spanish, and the discussion is even more controversial because Minari includes dialogue in both Korean and English. It is almost certain to be nominated as a foreign language film as it was at the Golden Globes, despite containing enough English to count as an English language film. It will be interesting to see what the Academy decides to do. 

In my opinion, Minari deserves to be a Best Picture nominee - after all, it was made in America by an American filmmaker with plenty of English dialogue. Whether it will win against strong contenders such as Nomadland, Mank and The Father is another question, it is certainly a year with many great films up for consideration.