Minari

MINARI

2021 | Dir. Lee Isaac Chung | 115 Minutes

"Minari is truly the best. It grows anywhere, like weeds. So anyone can pick and eat it. Rich or poor, anyone can enjoy it and be healthy."

A Korean-American family relocates from California to Arkansas to start a new life. Jacob dreams of cultivating their plot of land to make a living farming and selling Korean produce as his wife Monica grows increasingly weary his plans. Meanwhile, their young American-born son David rejects his doting grandmother's culture and affection.

A semi-autobiographical work, writer/director Lee Isaac Chung's Minari offers an authentic perspective that is resoundingly true-to-life without sliding into melodrama. The film is refreshingly frank in its portrayal of first generation American immigrants complete with the financial hardships and conflicts of cultural identity both large and small that fray at the bonds of family. Emotionally resonant, the narrative depicts love and aspirations being put to the test by various practical circumstances. 

While grandmother Soon-ja's description of the versatile and prolific qualities of the titular herb in one scene may be a bit on-the-nose, the minari plant is a perfect metaphor for immigrant families like the one featured in the film. Jacob makes the conscious decision to grow Korean vegetables in America, doing his part to carry on the culture of his people instead of shedding it to better fit in, willing to stake his livelihood on the expectation that other Korean-American immigrants, his potential customers, also intend to retain their roots. The dreamlike musical score swells during every shot of the majestically photographed farmland that Jacob toils to transform into his ideal "Garden of Eden." Monica serves as an honest reality check for Jacob, resigned to an unfulfilling job but reasonably skeptical of her husband's dream to live off the land, a dream that greatly strains their marriage particularly when he often chooses to pursue it over maintaining the immediate well-being of his family. Their conflict creates compelling true-to-life tension throughout the picture. Running parallel to Jacob and Monica's narrative, the story of David and grandmother Soon-ja's relationship is thoroughly satisfying both thematically and emotionally. Unlike his father, David is initially unable to find value in his roots, despising his grandmother as she fully embodies the concept of Korea to him, particularly dislikes her expensive imported herbal medicine meant to remedy his heart condition which hilariously juxtaposes against his favorite soft drink Mountain Dew - an endearingly specific detail. David eventually grows to love his grandmother when he discovers that her love, and possibly her medicine, strengthen his body and his heart. Particularly endearing are the scenes that take place in the creek that David and Soon-ja discover together where they grow a minari patch.

Steven Yeun and Yeri Han deliver earnest, heartfelt performances as Jacob and Monica though Alan Kim and veteran Korean actress Youn Yuh-jung truly stand out as the headstrong David and the spirited and hilariously crass grandmother. Will Patton convincingly plays the well-meaning local eccentric Paul. Drawing the short straw as Anne, Jacob and Monica's daughter, and David's older sister, Noel Kate Cho is fine in the role but unfortunately the character doesn't have much of a storyline in the picture.

Minari is a tender picture about a family persevering through uniquely American hardships. It is a highly authentic depiction of immigrants aspiring to seize the new opportunities available to them, working tirelessly to be the masters of their own destinies, struggling to make their own way by the strength of their heritage instead of abandoning it. While the story is relatively simple, it is universal in its relatability.

FRAGMENTS

- Lee Isaac Chung initially intended to adapt the novel My Antonia by Willa Cather about pioneers in late 19th century Nebraska but found out discovered that Cather objected film adaptations of her works

- The red cap Jacob wears throughout the film was a present Steven Yeun received from his mother when we was 17

- While the film won the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film in 2021, controversially, it was ineligible to be nominated for the Best Drama Golden Globe due to the asinine rule established by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association that at least half of a film's dialogue must to be spoken in English in order for it to be considered for the award

Mank

MANK

2020 | Dir. David Fincher | 131 Minutes

"Are you familiar with the parable of the organ grinder's monkey?"

Bedridden from an auto wreck, washed-up outspoken perpetually-drunk screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz is approached by wunderkind Orson Welles to write his first feature film. Channeling all of his disdain for his erstwhile social acquaintance William Randolph Hearst into the screenplay, Mankiewicz composes a sprawling thinly veiled indictment against the powerful newspaper baron: Citizen Kane.

David Fincher's Mank not only serves as an origin story for Citizen Kane but also a loving tribute to the canonized picture. Written by the director's late father Jack Fincher, slug lines displaying on screen for key scene transitions to accentuate the perspective of the story's screenwriter hero, the picture honors its protagonist as well as its writer. While dictating his screenplay to his amusingly prim assistant, and receiving varying degrees of admiration mixed prudent discouragement from assorted colleagues providing feedback upon completion, Mankiewicz recalls the circumstances that lead him to his association and subsequent falling out with Hearst, the real life basis for Charles Foster Kane, presented as a vain and spiteful man with enough wealth and influence to manipulate a gubernatorial election over a personal vendetta utilizing propaganda produced by a major film studio while idealistic artists are discarded for not toeing the company line. The script's non-linear story structure, heavily told through flashback, mirrors that of the celebrated Orson Welles classic. The pacing of the feature is somewhat plodding but its mesmerizing throwback aesthetic, snappy dialogue, and fantastic cast keep things consistently engaging, particularly for fans of Hollywood's golden age.

Fincher meticulously replicates the look and feel of Old Hollywood to create a fully immersive experience. Visually, the film is a monochrome recreation of motion pictures from a bygone era, from how the actors are lit to the way shots are framed to the method in which the film is edited down to the cigarette burns to signal film reel changes. Even the pseudo-mono audio mix emulates the sound of motion pictures from the 1940s with remarkable precision, surround sound utilized to replicate the distinct echo of a movie theater auditorium. Deserving the utmost praise, the moody jazzy period-appropriate score by frequent Fincher collaborators Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross is simply astonishing, particularly considering what a sonic departure it is from their repertoire.

Hands down, Gary Oldman delivers his best performance to date as Mankiewicz. Oldman effortlessly carries the film, absolutely convincing in his delivery of flustered drunken monologues, in brooding contemplative moments, and above all in selling the charm of an overconfident romantic. The only fault in Oldman's casting is the 20-year discrepancy between the actor's age and the age Mankiewicz would have been at the time. As beloved movie star Marion Davies, Hearst's lover and Mankiewicz's unlikely friend, Amanda Seyfried absolutely shines by subverting expectations through the natural grace and unassuming sharp intelligence she exudes. Charles Dance also stands out as Hearst, imposing as ever, a perfect fit for the role. The impressive cast also features Lily Collins as Mankiewicz's headstrong secretary Rita Alexander, Arliss Howard as heartless MGM head Louis B. Mayer, Tom Pelphrey as Mankiewicz's more level-headed brother Joseph, Tuppence Middleton as Mankiewicz's supportive wife Sara, Jamie McShane as tragic journeyman director Shelly Metcalf, Tom Burke as ethereal presence Orson Welles, and a surprising appearance by Bill Nye as failed California gubernatorial candidate Upton Sinclair.

Mank is a captivating though somewhat deliberately paced journey that's equal parts entertaining and timely, an amusing and utterly immersive companion piece to Citizen Kane. Through the voice of a troubled but brilliant artist, the picture explores how film studios coldly take advantage of their talent and how vindictive media moguls always have and always will use whatever means necessary to advance their often petty self-serving political agendas.

FRAGMENTS

- David Fincher intended to make Mank in the late 1990s starring Kevin Spacey and Jodie Foster but the project was stalled for years due to film studios objecting to Fincher's insistence on shooting the picture in black-and-white

- While the film posits that Mankiewicz is solely responsible for writing Citizen Kane without meaningful contribution from Orson Welles, this claim remains highly contested

Judas and the Black Messiah

JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH
2021 | Dir. Shaka King | 126 Minutes

"I think I'll let history speak for me."

Threatened by the growing influence of prominent Black Panther Party leader Fred Hampton, the FBI coerces petty criminal Bill O'Neal into infiltrating Hampton's inner circle. As tensions escalate, O'Neal commits a desperate act of betrayal.

Loosely based on true events, Judas and the Black Messiah is an intense dramatization of a criminally overlooked chapter in the history of the American civil rights movement. The picture is superbly plotted and directed by Shaka King, depicting Hampton and O'Neal with genuine humanity. Hampton's ability to inspire a wide variety of disenfranchised Americans to unite against the establishment is just one facet of his character displayed in the film, behind closed doors he is also presented as the tender sort of man who endearingly struggles with his words when courting the love of his life and who earnestly puts the well-being of his community above his own. The film portrays O'Neal not as a morally bankrupt traitor but as an ignorant, troubled, severely conflicted individual, pushed into a life of constant paranoia by both his own recklessness and taken advantage by his federal law enforcement masters under threat of imprisonment.

As the plot unfolds primary through O'Neal's point of view, lurking in the background quietly assisting the FBI's  efforts to undermine Hampton's fight for the people, there is palpable tension throughout the film. With pressure constantly mounting on both sides, O'Neal is constantly in danger. Violence rapidly escalates between law enforcement and the Panthers with O'Neal narrowly evading the crossfire. Suspected informants within Hampton's organization are lethally executed, in reality among the many acts secretly perpetrated by the FBI to sow discord, and O'Neal's cover is frequently tested, in one instance literally at gunpoint. Habitually looking over his shoulder, O'Neal is nearly outed by one of his past marks at a meeting between the Panthers and militant activist group and is startled to see his FBI handler among the audience at one of Hampton's rallies. While the film makes the case for O'Neal's desperation to shut Hampton down out of fear understandable if not justifiable, the final act of the picture in which a visibly shaken O'Neal plays his part in Hampton's brutal execution at the hands of law enforcement is particularly difficult to watch.

LaKeith Stanfield and Daniel Kaluuya are simply outstanding, delivering the very best work of their respective careers so far. As Bill O'Neal, the "Judas" of this story, Stanfield exudes a manic energy that is at times sympathetic but consistently deeply disquietingly frustrating. Kaluuya is positively charismatic as revolutionary leader Fred Hampton, a thoroughly powerful performance. Playing Hampton's girlfriend Deborah Johnson, Dominique Fishback is heartbreaking as the emotional center of the Hampton's storyline. The film also features the effortlessly creepy Jesse Plemons as O'Neal's FBI handler, Martin Sheen under heavy prosthetics as legendary racist J. Edgar Hoover, Dominique Thorne standing out as a particularly aggressive Black Panther Party member, and Lil Rel Howery briefly appearing as an undercover FBI agent.

Judas and the Black Messiah is a challenging, engaging, and truly excellent film. With stylish precision, Shaka King delivers a complex uncompromising narrative in which the establishment utilizes underhanded tactics to destroy a nascent radical revolution. At its heart, the picture is essentially a study of two men condemned in contrasting ways by a system that hates them.

FRAGMENTS
- LaKeith Stanfield, Daniel Kaluuya, and Lil Rel Howery starred in 2018 Best Picture Nominee Get Out

- The film references events depicted in competing 2021 Best Picture Nominee The Trial of the Chicago 7 which features a portrayal of Fred Hampton played by Kelvin Harrison Jr.


MCU CONNECTIONS
- Daniel Kaluuya (W'Kabi in Black Panther)

The Father

THE FATHER
2021 | Dir. Florian Zeller | 97 Minutes

"I feel as if I'm losing all my leaves."

An elderly man named Anthony gradually loses his sense of time and place but he rejects his daughter's attempts to provide him with adequate care. As Anthony's condition worsens, he begins to constantly question his surroundings, to wonder why his younger daughter hasn't been in touch, and to suspect that his wristwatch was stolen from him.

French playwright and theatre director Florian Zeller's cinematic debut, The Father is a heart-wrenching drama centered on the tragic struggle of a fiercely independent man seemingly becoming unstuck from time. Adapted from Zeller's acclaimed stage play Le Père, the script is briskly paced and emotionally devastating, offering an intimate glimpse into a deteriorating mind. While the picture is disorienting by design, it is never difficult to follow on an emotional level as the narrative is skillfully presented to the audience strictly from the lead character's perspective. Viewers feel just as confused as Anthony when the identities of the people populating his flat become unclear and sudden seemingly unexplained changes to the furnishings occur.

While the symbolism of a lost wristwatch or a skipping opera CD isn't exactly subtle, they are effective clues that scenes are playing out in ways that are not as they seem. Little by little, it is made clear to the audience through hints in the production design that moments are presented out of chronological order. The clever set design utilizes the same spatial layout for multiple locations and subtleties in the cast's wardrobe allow more observant viewers to deduct the reality of Anthony's increasingly unreliable perspective before the climatic reveal. The most exceptional moment of the film is an intense dinner scene in the middle of the film that startlingly loops its end back to the beginning of the scene, a beautifully written and performed sequence realized by exceptionally crafty editing.

Despite his increasing erratic behavior, it is never difficult to empathize with the eponymous father as Anthony Hopkins gives one of his best performance ever in the lead role, compellingly alternating from forceful to assertive to charming to befuddled to vulnerable, and ultimately, to heartbroken. Much of Hopkins' performance is enhanced by Olivia Colman's excellent work as hapless daughter Anne, able to exude a plethora of emotions within a single close-up of her face, constantly broadcasting the sad reality that her character's father is unable to perceive. As Anne's ill-tempered boyfriend Paul, the one character in the film that doesn't bother to hide their impatience for the old man, Rufus Sewell is convincingly cruel. The cast also features Mark Gatiss, Olivia Williams, and Imogen Poots in brief but memorable roles.

The Father is a deeply moving film elevated by brilliant performances from its outstanding cast and inventive technical craftsmanship. It is an intimate picture that tells an extremely relatable story about the fragility of the human mind and the brutality of memory and time, potentially hitting close to home for anyone with a family member suffering from dementia.


FRAGMENTS
- Olivia Coleman and Mark Gatiss starred in 2019 Best Picture Nominee The Favourite

- Writer/director Florian Zeller wanted Anthony Hopkins specifically for the lead part in this film adaptation, considering no other actor for the role, even naming the lead character Anthony in the screenplay

- The character Anthony's date of birth, December 31, 1937, is Anthony Hopkins' actual date of birth


MCU CONNECTIONS
- Anthony Hopkins (Odin in Thor, Thor: The Dark World, and Thor: Ragnarok)

- Mark Gatiss (Ted Gilbert in The Fantastic Four: First Steps) 

The 93rd Academy Awards

My ranking of the Best Picture Oscar contenders of 2021:

1. Judas and the Black Messiah
2. Minari
3. Promising Young Woman
4. Nomadland *
5. The Trial of the Chicago 7
6. Sound of Metal
7. The Father
8. Mank

* Actual Winner