Minari

Movie: Minari
Nominated for: Best Picture, Actress in a Supporting Role, Original Screenplay, Actor in a Leading Role, Director, Original Score
How I watched: VOD, $20
When I fell asleep: Not a bit
When it had me: Glenn from The Walking Dead!
When it lost me: Third Act
What I have to say:

In Minari, a Korean family gambles on the success of a farm in Arkansas in the 1980s. I was invested in all of the challenges of the first act, charmed completely by the second act, and felt a bit lukewarm in the third.

The acting was strong in this film and they did a lovely job of setting up the characters. Starting a farm, settling somewhere new and living life as the outsiders pose such monumental and continuous difficulties and this movie sets it all up well. It's easy to root for the family, to guess where their failures will come and to celebrate their wins with them.

In the second act, a mother-in-law comes to live with them and this is when the movie became truly joyful for me. Maybe I was missing my own grandmother who shared so much in common with the one on screen; they both love soda and wrestling, occasionally steal things, hate cooking, act crazy and love their grandkids. The on-screen grandma also curses quite liberally and sings silly songs. This character coming into the mix just lifted the movie and deepened my investment. 

Even so, by the third act, we all felt the movie had begun to drag. The central problem of the film was, will they make it as a family on this farm? And somehow that questions was so broad that it felt like there wasn't anything solid and focused to root for. It's a small complaint and common of the "Slice of Life" film. There was a climax to the film, but then again, the challenges set up in the beginning will never be solved in the course of two hours.

There was a lot to enjoy in this film and I was glad to have been invited in to witness this family in this time, especially the Mother-in-law! I'll be rooting for Youn Yuh-Jung to take home the Oscar for my new favorite on-screen grandma.