Minari (film)

Minari
A boy in a field walking towards the viewer while holding a stick. In the background, a house with an American flag painted on the siding.
Official promotional poster
Directed byLee Isaac Chung
Written byLee Isaac Chung
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyLachlan Milne
Edited byHarry Yoon
Music byEmile Mosseri
Production
company
Distributed byA24
Release dates
  • January 26, 2020 (2020-01-26) (Sundance)
  • December 11, 2020 (2020-12-11) (United States)
Running time
115 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
Languages
  • Korean
  • English
Budget$2 million[2][3]
Box office$15.5 million[4][5]

Minari (Korean: 미나리; lit. water celery; [minaɾi]) is a 2020 American drama film written and directed by Lee Isaac Chung. The film stars Steven Yeun, Han Ye-ri, Alan Kim, Noel Kate Cho, Youn Yuh-jung, and Will Patton. A semi-autobiographical take on Chung's upbringing, its plot follows a family of South Korean immigrants who move to rural Arkansas during the 1980s.[6]

Minari had its world premiere at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival on January 26, 2020, winning both the U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury Prize and the U.S. Dramatic Audience Award.[7] It began a one-week virtual release on December 11, 2020, and was released theatrically and via virtual cinema on February 12, 2021, by A24.

The film received critical acclaim, with praise for Chung's direction and screenplay, Yeun's and Youn's performances, and the score. Many named it one of the best films of 2020. It earned six nominations at the 93rd Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Score, Best Original Screenplay, Best Actor (Yeun), and Best Supporting Actress (Youn), with Youn winning for her performance, making her the first Korean to win an Academy Award for acting. It also won the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film, was nominated for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture, and earned six nominations at the 74th British Academy Film Awards, including Best Film Not in the English Language. It has since been cited as one of the best films of the 2020s and the 21st century.[8][9][10][11]

  1. ^ "Minari". Sundance Film Festival. Archived from the original on December 11, 2019. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  2. ^ Jung, E. Alex (March 1, 2021). "Youn Yuh-jung Comes to America". Vulture.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2021. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
  3. ^ Phillips, David (February 14, 2021). "Cinematographer Lachlan Milne on Balancing Beauty and Authenticity in 'Minari'". Awards Daily. Archived from the original on February 21, 2021. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  4. ^ "Minari - Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  5. ^ "Minari (2021)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
  6. ^ "'Minari' Summary & Analysis - Embraces Acceptance And Change | DMT". Digital Mafia Talkies. January 2, 2021. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
  7. ^ Sharf, Zack (September 30, 2020). "'Minari' Trailer: Lee Isaac Chung's Sundance Winner Is A24's Big Oscar Hopeful". IndieWire. Archived from the original on October 22, 2020. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  8. ^ Hughes, Mark. "The Top 150 Greatest Films Of The 21st Century". Forbes. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
  9. ^ "The 100 best films of the 21st century (so far)". Time Out Worldwide. February 6, 2022. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
  10. ^ Gaughan, Liam (August 24, 2023). ""Don't be so eager to be offended." The 20 Best Drama Movies of the 2020s So Far, Ranked". Collider. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
  11. ^ "The Best American Independent Films of the 21st Century". January 3, 2024.