When his grandmother calls him a "pretty boy," he reacts defensively. Its often used in cooking and as a medicine. You can use all of the questions and activities or pick and choose, depending on how much time you have. Its funny how even the Hollywood Foreign Press Association thinks American stories are told only in English. PSA: Everything Everywhere Has 11 Oscar Noms! Besides learning that his son will be alright, he has managed to secure a buyer in Oklahoma City for his vegetables. (1:23:41-1:24:58), Clip #14: Jacob takes his box of produce to the appointment with the doctor, which upsets Monica. ONLINE MEETING INFO: Join us for a discussion of Minari and Asian American representation! Promise. In their efforts to connect with the new neighbors, the Yis become a part of the local church and almost inevitably encounters casual racism, admittedly stemming from ignorance rather than malice. The Oscars have a long history of diversity issues, including that they were dominated by white men. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). Due to his heart problems, he is discouraged from physical exertion. In March 2021, Minari earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture, and star Steven Yeun and Korean film legend Youn Yuh-jung both earned acting nominations. 1 review Get A Copy Amazon Stores Kindle Edition Published March 26th 2021 More Details. Minari DISCUSSION TOPICS - Dreams, goals, life plans, death of a loved one, loneliness, disappointment, failure, follow-through, guilt, immigration, farming, Ronald Reagan, Korean War, losing faith in someone. Use this lesson to help students consider how they can: If you only want to show brief parts of the film and discuss them with students, use these helpful clips to get you started. (1:05:33-1:10:00), Clip #12: Soonja has a stroke. Description. At the heart of the movie are questions about the choices we make for our familiesand the priorities behind them. She says American kids don't like sharing their room and Monica says, "He's a Korean kid." If you only have a single class period, showing just a few key clips below might be perfect. MINARI tells the story of the Yi family through the eyes of David (Alan S. Kim), a young boy whose family has uprooted from California to Arkansas to chase his father Jacob's (Steven Yeun) dream of owning a farm.David and his older sister, Anne (Noel Cho), try to find their place in Arkansas, while their mother, Monica (Yeri Han), wishes she was still in California, where she felt comfortable . If you only have a single class period, showing just a few key clips below might be perfect. You can use all of the questions and activities or pick and choose, depending on how much time you have. That seems to be an apt line about David's family, how despite the hardships they face, they prove to be able to "grow anywhere," even on their struggling Arkansas farm. She accepts Davids attitude only to bond with him. What do you think Jacob is feeling as he talks to David about the farm? that made it especially memorable? The discussion guide and lesson below will help students consider how and why characters in Minari act the way they do. This movie is set in the '80s. Minari 2020 PG-13 1 h 55 m IMDb RATING 7.4 /10 84K YOUR RATING Rate POPULARITY 2,634 158 Play trailer 2:06 19 Videos 99+ Photos Drama A Korean family starts a farm in 1980s Arkansas. It features a Korean family in rural Arkansas, and it's already received major recognition, including a Golden Globe Award. -- can shift one's priorities? Jacob sees the minari and says, It's growing well on its own." Alan S. Kim, left, Steven Yeun, Noel Kate Cho and Yeri Han star in "Minari.". Perhaps this is one of those situations where we think of them as Attractors - obviously David has an emotional connection to Jacob and Monica - and in those moments where the parents are arguing or angry with him or working angles with him to get him to see either of them as his favorite - as "mask" moments. David expects his grandmother to be able to bake cookies. Recognize situational demands and opportunities. Content warning: There are a few scenes to be aware of before you show the movie. It often evolves from a yearning to escape the daily grind and a feeling of nostalgia. Minari Is a Beautiful Portrait of a Family in Flux Lee Isaac Chung's bittersweet award-winning film is one of the highlights of the season. They save each other, and in the process, salvage their relationship. As explained in the movie and by the cast, --Chung called it a weed in an interview with The Wrap, but Yuh-jung corrected him and said that its a vegetable-- minari is a versatile plant used in Korean households in various ways. Newer Post . Jacob (Steven Yeun) moves his family from a comfortable life in California to a small town in Arkansas. (7:56-9:40), Clip #2: A thunderstorm is in full swing, and everyone's scared. Can you identify a choice the filmmakers made about music, camera angles, etc. Minari Plot Synopsis Having spent a considerable portion of their early youths in California as chicken sexers, Jacob (Steven Yeun) and Monica Yi (Han Ye-ri) move their family of four to Arkansas' green pastures. When I'm not writing about pop culture, I can be found channeling Gordon Ramsay by kicking people out the kitchen. Do you agree with her? Monica wants a sense of community. Download. Why do you think David has accepted Soonja? (49:44-55:13), Clip #10: After Jacob learns a deal fell through with a Korean business owner, there's a shot of the smoke stack for "discarded" useless male chicks. In Jacobs mind, he has invested too much and sacrificed too much to back out now from this specific trajectory of his life, no matter the consequences. (16:09-19:51), Clip #4: Jacob tells Anne that Koreans immigrate to the U.S. and miss Korean food. Why? In her last scene, Soon-ja sits wide awake, watching the Yis sleep on the floor together. Create a "farm" that represents the things that motivate you to learn and grow as a person. Synopsis Just a few hours before, she'd been making him feel safe. If we look at the story with David as the Protagonist, there are a lot of Trickster dynamics at play. It describes a romanticized idea of living self-sustaining, tending the garden, caring for farm animals as well as baking and handcrafts. This is a story that many can connect to because its the story of the American dream. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Instead, she plays cards and swears. Importantly, theyll return to this after the movie and reflect on it. Chung based the film on what he remembers . Its a surreal moment of contradictory emotions for Jacob. Minari follows the journey of a Korean-American family building a new life on a farm. Its a decision that didnt garner consensus easily. Preview the activities students will be doing during the movie. Can you think of someone from your own life, from history, or from a piece of media that's like Anne -- a bit of an "unsung hero" who helps keep things going? Develop interests and a sense of purpose. Around 1:19:00, some kids use chewing tobacco. What are our options when our priorities are fundamentally different from a loved one's? What are Monica's? After the Dallas deal falls through, Jacob realizes that he will face financial ruin if he doesnt find another buyer for his produce before it starts to rot. The new movie Minari (PG-13) tells the story of Jacob, Monica and their family as they chase a better future in the 1980s rural South. Korean people use their heads." The discussion guide and lesson below will help students consider how and why characters in Minari act the way they do. She doesnt know it yet, but the fire has proven to be a blessing in disguise; it has saved her family from what seemed like an unavoidable dissolution. "water celery") is a 2020 American drama film written and directed by Lee Isaac Chung. Yet Minari is, in many ways, an optimistic movie about the American immigrant dream. Chung wanted to make a particular story, not a universal story. Does she find it at church? If you had to take a side, whose side would you take? Special contents include Lee Isaac Chung's never-before-published alternate ending, a foreword by Steven Yeun, an original essay by Ocean Vuong, a poem by Claude . Soon-ja repeatedly tells her daughter to let David be a normal child. What unies the narrative? What's Anne's role in the family? There was a problem. Lee Isaac Chung's depiction of the often lonely path Korean immigrants must tread towards their American dream has won its stars Yuh-jung Youn and Steve Yeun Oscar nominations As kids, what do moments like this mean about our understanding of the world and how it works? How do priorities seem to shift during the fire? But we see, at the end, he is going to try again. A discussion guide is a set of questions/tasks/topics that you, the researcher, wish to walk a research participant through in order to reach your learning objectives. Do you think this scene would look different today? -- can shift one's priorities? (1:23:41-1:24:58), Clip #14: Jacob takes his box of produce to the appointment with the doctor, which upsets Monica. My students and I wanted to be seen by others and to see ourselvesthe hope that the diversity of who we are would finally be reflected, but theres only so much room for Asian American representation in Hollywood. and our While exploring their property with his grandmother and planting minari seeds, David gets to be a child for the first time in his life. When the Yis return, Jacob rushes into the fire to salvage whatever he can, and Monica soon follows. One of the main reasons for the family moving from California to Arkansas is that, unlike Jacob, Monica wasnt a fast enough sexer in the former state. What are the pressures of "fitting in" while also being true to yourself/where you came from? This event has passed. The first week of class, we discussed Crazy Rich Asians, and the conversation around the movie got at this idea. How do our roles in a family sometimes create expectations for us? Christine is also a writer, primarily of fiction and essays, and loves to read all manner of books. What scene, and why does it stick out in your mind? Thinking back on the movie, is there one scene thats particularly memorable? The disconnect which all of them start to feel in their ramshackle trailer in the middle of nowhere continues to fester within Monica throughout the film. The Minari ending shows the Yi family getting good news, first with Davids heart murmur, and then with Jacob finding a grocer, but the second good news is immediately followed by bad news. Discussion Guide 5.12.2016 Pie Digital | Fast Insight 1 Page 2 of 4 Task 1: General exploration, Dashboard Imagine that you recently installed an app on your phone that was going to help you with your home network. Who's right? A sweet, tender, and authentic look into a Korean family moving into the United States and vying for that elusive American Dream. 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