No. 151 / Apr 19, 2021
Minari, a movie about Korean-American immigrant families, swept 91 awards in and out of the United States (U.S.). One of them was the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Notably, its nomination brought much criticism. Migration and pioneering are prototypes of American narratives. This film depicts the possibility of starting a new life in a foreign land through the roots of the exotic minari plant in the wetlands of Arkansas. Given that it clearly represented multiracial America, there was a lot of backlash as to why it was not considered an American movie.
According to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), if more than 50% of a film’s dialogue is not in English, then it is categorized as a foreign language film. According to this rule, Minari, which is mostly in Korean, should be considered as a foreign language film. However, it was directed by Lee Isaac Chung who is an American of Korean descent, and three of the five main actors are American. Of course, it was filmed in the U.S., and it was produced by Brad Pitt’s production company Plan B. Nevertheless, the film was classified as a foreign language film. Referring to the HFPA regulations, foreign media reported that Minari is believed to be classified as a foreign language film. However, this is not a fair classification. Quentin Tarantino’s film Inglourious Basterds was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for the best picture, even though only about 30% of it was in English. Hollywood was outraged at the Golden Globes’ treatment of Minari, even boycotting them and demanding strong reform measures.
The movie is about a family of immigrants pursuing the American dream outdated rule of determining the nationality of a movie based on whether they use English or not has to be changed. In this heated debate, director Lee Isaac Chung shared his thoughts on winning the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film, saying: “The movie is about a family. It is a movie in which a family tries to learn how to speak in their own language. This language is deeper than English or any foreign languages.” This was an insightful answer that went beyond the controversy. However, the problem of translation is not simple in terms of audience acceptance. Many domestic and foreign media outlets continue to debate on whether Minari is a Korean or American film. Then why is this issue so controversial by some people of not being considered as an American film? This may be because Asian believe that this discrimination is linked to the sense of superiority in considering Asia as non-mainstream, and feel that it needs to be corrected in line with the growing number of Asian hate crimes in English-speaking countries.
Capitalistic market does not discriminate media content in terms of nation and ethnicity. As deep learning-based Artificial Intelligence (AI) translation becomes more widespread, media content is gradually breaking down cultural barriers. In the future, the distinction between borders and language in movies will be secondary to the pursuit of something more authentic beyond the boundaries. Minari brings up a new topic of conversation around the world about the more fundamental criteria for the nationality of films.
By Han Seo-hyeon, AG Reporter
kiki504@ajou.ac.kr
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