Minari (2020)

Minari is a Korean vegetable that grows in the wild, is very hardy, and easily spreads, feeding all who pass by it. It has two growing seasons, and is the perfect title for this quietly beautiful film. There are lots of themes of birth and renewal. Jacob and Monica Yi, an immigrant Korean couple who relocate from California to a large plot in the Ozarks in Arkansas int eh 1980's. For Jacob, it’s his dream – the chance to escape the monotony of sexing chickens for a living and to make something of himself. He is not all about shared decision making, and Monica is far less sold on the idea (not even consulted, really), and appalled by the leaky mobile home into which this reckless venture has placed them. A farming novice, her husband must learn the ropes from scratch, aided only by their eccentric neighbour Paul, a Korean-war veteran and religious fanatic who speaks in tongues, performs makeshift exorcisms and spends his Sundays dragging a cross up the local highway. Monica's mother comes to live with them, to help with the kids and as a compromise for Monica. She is the real highlight of the movie, not the kind of grandmother who coos, but one who has the key to success for the family. One aspect of this film is that there is not a hint of racism in it, something that surely could have been a factor at the time and in the present day.