Praise for H’wood pivot to diversity
The shift in Hollywood toward a more diverse range of stories is earning rave reviews from the director and stars of “Minari.”
A year after the standout South Korean film “Parasite” won best picture at the Oscars, “Minari” — an American movie with primarily Korean dialogue — is a heavy contender in the 2021 awards race.
“Minari” follows a Korean-American family attempting to make a new life in rural Arkansas, and draws inspiration from writer-director Lee Isaac Chung’s childhood on a farm in the state.
“It’s exciting because when I was in my teens or in my 20s, I would not have imagined that a film like this would be possible,” Chung, 42, told the Daily News.
“I grew up watching films of predominantly white families speaking in English, and that this represented the American experience. Now, after making this film and seeing the response to it, just in retrospect, it means so much that we’ve come this far, and that a film like this can be made, and that it can find an audience, and people accept it as an American film,” Chung said.
“Minari” actress YuhJung Youn, who plays the grandmother Soonja, was stunned by the applause the movie received at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2020.
“I was shocked,” Youn told The News. “I thought maybe just Korean immigrants would [feel] the same way with us, but everyone was very impressed, and they were very touched by this movie.”
The following month, “Parasite” won four Oscars, with Bong Joon-ho named best director. Netflix has also added a wide range of Korean programming amid a large demand for those stories.
“Minari” is in the mix for best picture at this year’s Oscars. The Golden Globes drew criticism for not making “Minari” eligible for best drama film due to it not being primarily in English, but the film recently received three nominations for the Screen Actors Guild Awards, including one for outstanding performance by a motion picture cast.
“I’m very grateful for the American audience for the taking the interest and affection for this film,” actress Yeri Han, who plays the mother, Monica, told The News.
“The same is happening here in Korea as well.”