Minari (Lee Isaac Chung, 2020) Movie • Page 3

Everyone saves each other in some way or another in this film, it’s so incredibly heartwarming and beautiful.

 

No one is being obtuse. You can like the ending if you want. I am not the one who said anyone didn't understand the film. The barn burning is the definition of a deus ex machina.

 

First, a deus ex machina resolves the conflict. If anything, things are worse for the family after the fire. A deus ex machina is also an unexpected event. The barn fire is foreshadowed and could be predicted within the course of events taking place in the film. We see them burn their trash, something they’re not used to. We see grandma getting in the way of things, complicating relations in the family. We see the crops dry out, a perfect fire hazard. We see grandma have a stroke, then left alone without supervision, and she once again tries to get in the way, causing the fire. She tries to fix things but somehow makes it all worse, a mirror to their family dynamic. All of it adds up to what happens and makes perfect sense. Nothing forced or contrived. And this is without recognizing the film is BASED ON A TRUE STORY. How can one argue there is a dues ex machina with something based in truth? The whole concept of dues ex machina is that it’s a contrived unexpected event that resolves the conflict—what happens is not contrived, it’s literally inspired by true events; also, it’s not terribly unexpected; and (it can be argued) it doesn’t neatly resolve anything.

 

The conflict is the marriage falling apart. The deus ex machina solves it. It was interesting when it seemed like the father was going to achieve some sort of Pyrrhic victory by achieving success at the expense of his family, but that route was avoided.

The director says the film is largely fictional and only semi-autobiographical, but even if it were completely true it doesn't mean it is an effective or interesting narrative. Billions of people live their lives every day without a movie being made about them. Virtually every "based on a true story" film alters the details in order to make the story work as a film.

 

y’all making me not want to see this movie. please quit being so insufferable

 

This is an exhausting conversation bound to go nowhere. If the ending doesn’t work for you, that’s fine. I found it riveting and beautiful, and thought it made perfect sense thematically and narratively.

I also appreciated how unafraid the film is to show us this family without explaining itself, without pandering to a white audience, and just sharing with us this deeply intimate yet universally relatable story.

 

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neither of you are discussing anything though. as you said yourself, it’s an exhausting conversation going nowhere, from the perspective of one of the people participating in it. how do you think people not participating in the convo feel

 

We’re quite literally discussing the film and its ending, and just because it’s an exhausting conversation with disagreements doesn’t mean we can’t talk about it.

 

The film does deserve praise for showing the greatness of Mountain Dew. For too long it has been associated with Call of Duty and gamer fuel.

 

mountain dew will always be associated with little league and taco bell for me

 

I wanted to try Mountain Dew for years and ended up importing a bunch with my pocket money, it ended up being flat and I was very disappointed.

 

Ok, now I wanna see this film.

 

Fun story; playing on the football team in middle school, on the sidelines once my Dad brought me a bottle of Mountain Dew, thinking nothing of it, and then the assistant coach saw it and basically told me to throw it away, haha

 

I go to Europe once a year and the thing I hate the most is that Mountain Dew is virtually non-existent there.

 

I watched a cast Q&A after the film and the child actors said their parents didnt allow them to drink real Mountain Dew in the film bc it’s too unhealthy

 

There are two Popeyes in town, and for whatever reason one sells Coke products and the other sells Pepsi products. I drive to the further one that has Mountain Dew.

 

The nearest Popeyes to me is like 40 min away. Wish we had one closer. Though, there are a couple local places with good fried chicken closer, which I should probably wanna support more anyways, lol.

 

We don't have Popeyes either.

 

so damn cute

 

I love this kid

 

The interviewer was killing the vibe! So cute though