Salt in Wound

4 stars out of 5

I didn’t even know that determining the sex of baby chicks was a job. But for Jacob and wife Monica, who emigrated from Korea, this is their profession. By the early 80s, they’ve left the more high-stakes chicken sexing hatchery scenes in Seattle and California, and with their young children, relocated to Arkansas. Here, Monica’s slower sorting ability will be acceptable, and Jacob will get to pursue his dream: what he’s initially dubbed a “garden” but he knows in his heart will be a glorious farm of Korean vegetables.

That’s the background of this small, quiet film (well, as small as a film can be with Brad Pitt as an executive producer), the story of a family. They face many of the same travails that any financially insecure immigrant family with bright hopes — in any era — might face. Assimilation vs. tradition, health concerns (7-yr-old David has a heart murmur), adjusting to a new environment (tornado watch!), etc. And we witness the strain that these challenges can place on a marriage.

Hoping to ease the stress and make peace at home, Jacob invites Monica’s mother to live with them. And thus the film gains a second storyline: the sweet relationship between David and the grandma from Korea he’s never met. Yuh-jung Youn is excellent as the granny who has brought ingredients from home (and the wild minari seeds which give the movie its name) but in fact is not very traditional at all. David, after overcoming his shyness, is annoyed that she’s not a “real grandma,” baking cookies and the like. She plays cards, watches pro wrestling, takes a shine to David’s beloved Mountain Dew, and is quick to laugh. I don’t know what the future holds for young Alan Kim — as David, this is his debut film — but in this role he is perfection and cute as a button. It’s delightful to watch the growing trust and love between these two.

Meanwhile we’re also viewing the disintegrating love and trust (ah ha, contrast!) between Jacob and Monica. Steven Yeun — who you may remember from that zombie show — does a very good job playing the devoted dad who desperately needs to prove to himself that he can succeed. And unfortunately that’s sometimes at odds with his fatherly duties. Yeri Han as mom conveys motherly love and worry, and her own sadness and slowly eroding love.

Will Patton is great in a supporting role as Jacob’s weird-old-guy farmhand. (Patton has been in a ton of movies over the decades but I recently rewatched his fun portrayal of Horst in After Hours.) Now, I feel like I’m forgetting somebody — oh yes, Noel Cho as the daughter Anne, but the script basically forgets her too. (Sick burn, Jack!) Still, she does solid work as the caring older sister.

As I click on writer/director Lee Isaac Chung’s IMDB page, it begins, “A son of Korean immigrants, Chung grew up on a small farm in rural Arkansas…” who was born in 1978. So basically he is David; I figured something like that was the case. Hey, write what you know. And if your story can connect and relate to a wider world and audience, all the better. That’s exactly what Chung has done here, really well.