Minari is one of the year’s most-acclaimed movies, with a perfect Rotten Tomatoes score (out of 64 reviews) and plenty of awards season buzz. But according to Variety, the A24 film, about a Korean-American family that moves to a farm in Arkansas farm in search of the so-called American Dream, “will follow the precedent set by Lulu Wang’s The Farewell last year and will not be competing in the best picture categories, instead it will be considered in foreign language film because it is primarily in Korean.”
This decision has sparked a backlash because, as The Farewell director Lulu Wang pointed out, “I have not seen a more American film than #Minari this year. It’s a story about an immigrant family, IN America, pursuing the American dream. We really need to change these antiquated rules that characterizes American as only English-speaking.”
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings star Simu Liu agreed with Wang, tweeting, “Minari is an American movie written and directed by an American filmmaker set in America with an American lead actor and produced by an American production company,” while Pachinko author Min Jin Lee added, “#Minari is an American film about new Americans. Everyone in America except for indigenous people came from somewhere else by choice or force. The English language is not an indigenous language. Enough of this nonsense about Asian-Americans being permanently foreign. I’m done.” Parasite won Best Picture at the Oscars all of 10 months ago (even if it feels like 10 years), but that wasn’t enough to convince the Globes to let Minari — a movie literally about the American Dream — to compete for Best Motion Picture — Drama.
Other reactions:
Literally this movie is about the “American dream”!!! what are you guys even talking about! https://t.co/8nDyhh0r38
— Jenny Han (@jennyhan) December 23, 2020
They saw Parasite kick down that door and said oh shit, we better not let them in the house if we’re going to stand a chance https://t.co/PbOTi7p54Y
— Jen Bartel (@heyjenbartel) December 23, 2020
Minari was written and directed by an American and produced by American production companies. It is an American immigration story. The lead is American. English is spoken in the film. And not every American household speaks only English. https://t.co/t9hJ7gyY1N pic.twitter.com/TaqHVbErQq
— Jenn Ravenna Tran (@JennRavenna) December 23, 2020
Dear @goldenglobes: Please change your name to “Golden Only For English Speaking People,” because that would be more accurate. #Minari is an American movie about a Korean American family in Arkansas. Why does a best picture have to be in English? Globe is in your name. Get it? https://t.co/pMlGr07HxF
— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) December 23, 2020
Minari is the most/best American movie I saw this year. This is complete bullshit. https://t.co/Raufj2QtMG
— Angry Asian Man (@angryasianman) December 23, 2020
Minari was made by an american production company with an american lead, telling an american story, & is considered foreign
‘The Artist’ had a french production company, staring french actors, had no english spoken & was NOT considered foreign
Foreign only applies to skin color https://t.co/rQW11Pu371
— Carlos (@CarlosCrits) December 23, 2020
“MINARI” is an American film, set in the U.S., by an American filmmaker with an American star. We didn’t do this for Coppola or Scorsese period movies where the Italians speak Italian at home. https://t.co/GwuhXpElJK
— MovieBob Productions (@the_moviebob) December 23, 2020
Minari opens on February 12, 2021.
(Via Variety)