'Minari' Featurette Digs Into The Heart And Struggle Of The American Dream

Minari appears to be on the path to the Academy Awards. The film received a nomination from the Producers Guild of America Awards and director Lee Isaac Chung was among the feature film nominees for the Directors Guild of America Awards, both strong indicators of a movie's potential presence at the Oscars. Even the Screen Actors Guild Awards nominated the entire cast for their equivalent of Best Picture. To help push the movie in front of more Academy members and get audiences to seek it out, A24 has released a Minari featurette that dives into the emotional struggle of a Korean-American family striving and struggling for their slice of the America Dream.

Cast members Steven Yeun and Yeri Han talked about the story at the center of Minari and how their own experiences informed their harrowing performances. To play the family patriarch Jacob, Yeun dug into his own identity and what his parents' generation went through in order to make a life in the United States. Han zeroed in on her grandmother, mother and aunts in Korea to inspire the emotion in her character's struggle.

Director Lee Isaac Chung also recalled what a joy it was to watch young Alan Kim in scenes with Yuh-Jung Youn as his grandmother. The child actor recently went viral on social media after winning the Critics Choice Award for Best Young Actor/Actress, which made the young man sob in his acceptance speech. Watch it here:

Though the Golden Globes only allowed Minari to be considered in the Best Foreign Language category, it won't be so limited at the Academy Awards. It has a chance to follow in the footsteps of Parasite by landing more nominations in the primary categories, and if the gamut of awards season has been any indicator, it's bound to have at least a few nominations.

If you'd like to see more from Minari, check out the official trailer here, and watch a few clips over here. Otherwise, here is the official synopsis for the film:

A tender and sweeping story about what roots us, Minari follows a Korean-American family that moves to a tiny Arkansas farm in search of their own American Dream. The family home changes completely with the arrival of their sly, foul-mouthed, but incredibly loving grandmother. Amidst the instability and challenges of this new life in the rugged Ozarks, Minari shows the undeniable resilience of family and what really makes a home.

Minari is available to watch now in select theaters and on VOD.