Young actor Alan S. Kim is featured in his first role in Minari. Credit: A24

Writer and director Lee Isaac Chung tells his own childhood story about a young Korean family’s move to rural Arkansas in the 1980s, where it struggled to realize the American dream by starting a farm and attempting to assimilate.

The Current named Minari the Best Film of 2020 and described it as a drama that “delivers an extremely effective message about love and devotion that is equal parts charming, heartbreaking and humorous.”

The heart of the film is the relationship between 6-year-old David (Alan S. Kim) and his grandmother Soonja (Youn Yuh-jung, who won an Oscar for her role).

During an interview with the Current two years ago, Yuh-jung talked about her experience working with a child who had never acted before.

“First, I was worried because I heard he didn’t have any acting experience,” she explained. “But he was prepared. He memorized all the lines. We built the relationship together. The script was built nicely between grandma and grandson.”

As for why she believed the film was beloved by audiences and critics alike, Yuh-jung said it captured a universal story. “We all have a grandma,” she said. “I think family love is what touches people.”

Free, 8 p.m. Friday, April 8, Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, 100 Auditorium Circle, (210) 223-8624, tobincenter.org.

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This article appears in Apr 6-19, 2022.