Minari (Blu-ray)

Minari (Korean) is a 2020 American drama film written and directed by Lee Isaac Chung. It 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

In 1983, the South Korean immigrant Yi family moves from California to a plot of land in Arkansas, where the father, Jacob, believes the soil is fertile and hopes to grow Korean produce to sell to vendors in Dallas. One of his first decisions is to decline the services of a water diviner he digs a well in a spot he chooses himself. He enlists the help of Paul, an eccentric Korean War veteran who is fervently religious and occasionally speaks in tongues. Jacob is optimistic, but his wife, Monica, is disappointed with the mobile home and the distance from urban amenities, especially a hospital for their son David, who has a heart condition. They monitor David's heart murmurs and frequently tell him not to run. The couple work sexing chicks at a nearby hatchery and argue frequently while David and his sister, Anne, eavesdrop.

To watch the children during the day, Monica's mother, Soon-ja, travels from South Korea to live with them. Forced to share a room with her, David avoids her because she does not fit his idea of a grandmother. Still, Soon-ja attempts to bond with the children and adjust to life in the United States. The well Jacob dug runs dry. He is forced to pay for county water, and they eventually lose water in the home. He runs into additional difficulties when the vendor in Dallas cancels an order for their produce at the last minute. He perseveres despite Monica's desire to return to California, straining their marriage.