Back to the Big Screen: Minari (2020)

When: Friday, April 18, 2025, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Where: Garland Theater

Who: All Are Welcome!

Join Back to the Big Screen and Club Daebak with a screening of the 2020 film Minari. (trailer)

 

Golden Globe Award-winning film Minari (2020) stars Steven Yeun, Han Ye-ri, Alan Kim, Noel Kate Cho, Youn Yuh-jung, and Will Patton in a semi-autobiographical story of a Korean American family that moves to rural Arkansas in the 1980s in pursuit of the American Dream. Jacob (played by Steven Yeun) is determined to start a farm growing Korean produce to sell to other immigrant families, while his wife Monica (Han Ye-ri) struggles with the instability of their new life. When Monica’s mother (Youn Yuh-jung) joins them from Korea, her unorthodox personality both disrupts and enriches the family dynamic. The film follows their journey of adaptation, resilience, and identity as they try to plant roots—both literally and metaphorically—in unfamiliar soil.

 

Understanding Minari also gains depth when placed in the broader historical context of Korean American experiences in the United States. The 1992 Rodney King verdict, which acquitted four LAPD officers filmed brutally beating a Black man, led to the L.A. Uprising—a week of unrest and protest. During this time, many Korean-owned businesses were targeted and destroyed, revealing deep racial tensions and the precarious position of Korean immigrants caught between systems of white supremacy and Black struggle.

 

For our Poly community, which celebrates diversity and the pursuit of personal and collective stories, this film offers a powerful opportunity to reflect on what it means to belong, to strive, and to hold onto one’s heritage while navigating the complexities of American life. The film encourages empathy and understanding across cultural experiences, particularly those of Asian-American families whose stories have often been overlooked.