Minari

Wonderful, wonderful Minari. Honestly, it only took 5 seconds into watching Minari for me to start crying. Beyond the significance of seeing Asian faces on the big screen, Minari told a story that was profoundly moving. A semi-autobiographical film from Lee Isaac Chung, a Korean-American director, Minari centres on a Korean family who move to rural Arkansas during the 1980s. It tracks their struggles to start a farm and assimilate into American society while painting an intimate and at times, heart-wrenching, portrait of a family and the elusive 'American Dream'. The story pays homage to the richness of Korean culture, yet it also goes further than that.

It is the quintessential immigrant story, told in a way that was deeply authentic. It didn't sensationalise or dramatise. It was quiet, yet the film's ability to find resonance in its smallest moments - how Monica picks earwax out of David's ear, seeing the different sauces that line up on the kitchen counter in the family's home, or how David complains that his grandmother is not a 'real grandmother' because she can't bake cookies - made it so real and powerful as these were scenes that I too, have experienced. Unlike Crazy Rich Asians or Bling Empire where Asians are represented in these maximalist depictions which at times, seem vapid and almost overcompensatory, the realism of the characters in Minari felt so honest. I think it is this authenticity that I crave when I speak of Asian representation - to have characters who have depth, who aren't defined by just their Asian identity but rather, their humanity. Chung, in his cinematic artistry, recognised this, and allowed his characters space to breathe and express themselves that go beyond the Korean-American identity.

So, do yourself a favour: watch Minari, let me know your thoughts, and share with me in the hope that more authentic Asian stories - stories that capture all the complexity and nuances of being human - will be told.

- Isabella