Film Review: Minari

Minari is about a Korean family making a new life in the US

 

When was the last time I saw a film? 

I saw a short documentary back in mid-November, but the last time I saw a film was probably about a year ago.

The 45th Hong Kong International Film Festival kicked off yesterday but not without controversy. 

Where the Wind Blows was pulled last minute

The opening film was supposed to be Where the Wind Blows and was pulled at the last minute by the film's owner for "technical reasons", a euphemism in China for censorship.

Starring Aaron Kwok Fu-shing and Leung Chiu-wai, Where the Wind Blows is about two resourceful detectives who forge dangerous alliances with organized crime in 1960s Hong Kong. 

As it is a joint production between a Hong Kong and Chinese companies, the film may not have received the proper approval on the mainland, or perhaps the subject matter was too sensitive with the portrayal of the police.

In any event, I watched Minari, the Golden Globe winner for foreign film (because the film is half in Korean and half in English) this afternoon at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre's Grand Theatre. 

Alan Kim plays David in Minari

Every person who entered the Cultural Centre building had to either scan the QR code on the LeaveHomeSafe app or leave their contact details at the door, and everyone had to wear a mask, no consuming drinks or food inside.

Then inside the theatre, several seats were blocked off here and there where people could not sit. 

Minari is about a young Korean immigrant family that moves from California to Arkansas, the father Jacob played by Steven Yeun, is determined to make something of himself. 

He buys a plot of land with a trailer home with the intention of growing Korean vegetables, but his wife Monica (Han Ye-ri) is hardly impressed, and tensions flare up between the two.

Then there is the sub plot of the adorable son David (Alan Kim) and older sister Anne (Noel Kate Cho) who desperately want their parents to stop arguing.

Youn is a very famous actress in Korea

When their maternal grandmother (Youn Yuh-jung) comes to visit, there's some comic relief, but also three generations of cultural differences are revealed that make the film endearing.

Director Lee Isaac Chung wrote Minari based on his own parents coming to the United States to make a new life for themselves.

In an interview with Time magazine, Chung says: "When my dad was in junior high, all these American films started to be introduced into Korea for the first time. My dad started to watch westerns at dollar cinemas in Seoul and felt like America was a miraculous place. 

"His family had lost a lot of land during the Korean War and the Japanese occupation. That affected him a lot as a kid. He always felt like he needed to come to the US and get land. It's an old Hollywood pioneer story he was working on."

Chung with his daughter during Golden Globes

For many immigrant children the story in Minari resonates deeply, the heated arguments about sacrifice and money, how to raise Asian children in the west, and feelings of isolation. 

The film has been nominated for six Academy Awards this year and hopes are high it will win big following the momentum of Parasite!

Awkwafina's Big Win for The Farewell

Big smile for Awkwafina for her Golden Globe win as Billi in The Farewell

So thrilled Chinese-American actress and rapper Awkwafina won Best Actress in a musical or comedy category in the Golden Globes for The Farewell, that I just watched on the plane the day before on the way back to Hong Kong.

I was going to write a review about the film today, but even better to have Awkwafina, whose real name is Nora Lum, be the first Chinese-American actress to win in a big category. Before The Farewell, Awkwafina became famous her comedic character in Crazy Rich Asians.

Zhao Shuzhen plays Billi's grandmother in the film

On stage she thanked her co-star Zhao Shuzhen, who plays her grandmother in the film, and director Lulu Wang, who she paid tribute to.

"You gave me this chance, the chance of a lifetime, and you taught me so much. And just filming this story, being with you, was incredible," Awkwafina said in her acceptance speech.

Then she dedicated the award to her father Wally, saying, "I told you I'd get a job, Dad."

The Farewell is called 别告诉她 or "Don't tell her" in Chinese, about a family distraught about the matriarch's terminal illness, but don't want to tell her. Instead they conjure up a wedding banquet as an excuse for the family to get together to say good-bye.

The movie starts with a message that the story is based on an actual lie that happened in Wang's family that she wrote into The Farewell.

Lulu Wang (left) based the film on her family's story

Awkwafina plays Billi, an aspiring writer from an immigrant family from Changchun, China. She is struggling to get her career started when she finds out from her parents that her paternal grandmother or nai nai is dying -- but no one is to tell her that.

When they arrive in Changchun, everyone struggles to be happy to see her and to celebrate the upcoming nuptials of Billi's cousin, and grandmother can't understand why everyone has long faces. It also leads to some funny scenes that break up the sad atmosphere.

What I like about The Farewell is how it cleverly weaves things together. There are themes of identity, family, life and death, and the cultural differences between east and west. Through Billi, the viewers begin to understand Chinese culture, why the family is so adamant nai nai must not know the truth, while she, having grown up in America thinks this is outrageous.

In the film everyone struggles not to tell nai nai the truth

Billi speaks much like other immigrants who moved when they were very young, or second generation -- slowly and with a limited vocabulary. The film is mostly in Mandarin, but when she talks to her parents, it's in English, and her mother and father give context and explanations not only to Billi but to the audience too.

There are also scenes of how China has changed so much in the last few decades with better living standards, and people can quickly become millionaires, so why do the Chinese send their kids to study in the United States? It was interesting to see this issue addressed.

Some of my friends who have seen the film cried their eyes out because The Farewell touches on the relationship between grandparents and grandchildren, especially when the grandparents raise the children in their first few years. They also felt The Farewell was their immigrant experience, portrayed accurately on the screen.

Awkwafina thanked Wang for the opportunity to be in the film

For me it was a thoughtful, sentimental look at the challenges families face in dealing with the impending death of an elder, and the different reactions to it. What also made it complex was the layers of lies -- nai nai also lied to her husband about his diagnosis -- does she really know what her situation is and is lying to others about what she knows?

Backstage after Awkwafina's big win, she admitted the role was very challenging for her, because she did not speak Chinese well. But she felt the script was too important to pass up.

I hope there are more films like The Farewell, that tell a more nuanced story about Chinese people and their immigrant experiences, or what it's like to grow up in the west. There are too many stories out there that need to be told.