You’ll want to check out the Oscar-nominated film ‘Minari’ and the faith-filled message that it has.
‘Minari’ is written and directed by Lee Isaac Chung and stars Steven Yeun, Yeri Han, Alan Kim, Noel Kate Cho, and Yuh-Jung Youn. The film is playing now and is available in theaters and On Demand.
Steven Yeun plays Jacob who is the father in the film. “Jacob is an incredibly fascinating character. He’s a man wrestling with God,” says Steven.
The film focuses on a Korean family who has sacrificed a lot to move to an Arkansas farm in search of their own American dream.
“Growing up in Arkansas, you don’t really see too many films about the south. A lot of times you see caricatures,” says Lee Isaac Chung, the film’s director. “But you don’t really see human stories that are set there.”
He continues, “It is really cool to be part of something that carves out a larger understanding of what America is and can be. I’m very proud of that.”
In one scene in the movie, Jacob is talking to his wife about how he wants to look into going to church to find community.
“You must be lonely here without friends,” he says to his wife. “I thought we might go to church.”
Then we see the family sitting in a pew at church and the preacher greeting them. “If you’re here with us for the first time, please stand,” he says to the congregation before Jacob’s family rises to their feet. “What a beautiful family. We’re glad you’re here,” says the preacher.
“This is a family that moved to America and struggled like a lot of American families did,” says Christina Oh, the film’s producer.
And Alan Kim, who plays the young son in the movie, really sums up the movie in a beautiful way. “Minari shows the strength of a family and what really makes a home,” he says.
With 6 Academy Award nominations including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, this is one film not to miss!