MINARI ETA I 19 MARCH

An American dream story like no other

DIRECTOR Lee Isaac Chung STARRING Steven Yeun, Alan Kim,

Han Ye-ri, Noel Kate Cho, Will Patton

“There was something so magnetic about him. I wanted to keep watching his audition tape over and over.” Director Lee Isaac Chung is raving about Alan Kim, the adorable breakout star of his touching coming-of-age drama Minari.

The eight-year-old makes his acting debut in the gentle drama about a South Korean family who move to a tiny farm in Arkansas to carve out their own slice of the American Dream. They’re soon joined by their ballsy and wickedly potty-mouthed grandmother (Yuh-jung Youn).

Minari is loosely based on Chung’s own childhood with Kim cast as the filmmaker’s mischievous on-screen alter ego, David. Newcomer Noel Cho plays his older sister, Anne, while Han Ye-ri and Steven Yeun (Burning) take the role of their parents, Monica and Jacob. “It’s a mix of many things,” Chung says. “Starting as a personal memoir, folded into an Asian family drama, a Southern Gothic, and a classic western.”

Chung knew from the start that he didn’t want to make a straightforward biopic. “I was wary of making a strict recreation. I felt there were ways I could let my memories turn into a fictional film that could work on its own.” And work it most certainly does. The film charmed the socks off audiences when it premiered at Sundance with its intimate and heartwarming depiction of immigrant family life, and is now generating some serious awards buzz.

Since stepping out of the gory shadow of The Walking Dead, Yeun continues to prove how remarkably talented he is as the headstrong father determined to make their new life work even as the hardships start piling up thick and fast.

“He doesn’t fit within any easy categories,” says the director. “You can see in his other works that he is always redefining himself. He does this in a way that invites the viewer in, to let us all understand that impulse in ourselves.”

While the film focuses on the immigrant experience with tender compassion, its universal themes of love and unity are sure to resonate with everyone. Chung is keeping his fingers crossed. “I hope the film will stay within others’ memories in a good way.”