[Limelight] Mother-Daughter Reunion "Aigoo" Captures Korean Mother's Sentiment

Movie 'Minari' Monica role Han Ye-ri "Resembles my self who overcame difficult times"
Director Jeong Isaak did not order mother acting... Filmed comfortably without imitation

"Where on earth is this?" Monica (Han Ye-ri) is at a loss for words in the movie Minari. Before her eyes lies a vast, barren field and a container on wheels. Her husband Jacob (Steven Yeun) calls it a new nest, but her mouth goes dry. She can't even bring herself to step over the threshold, which is higher than her waist. "This isn't what we promised."

The couple's conflict continues. Jacob dreams of success through farming in unfamiliar Arkansas. Monica wants to pack up and leave immediately. She distrusts her husband's grand promises but is anxious about their son David (Alan Kim). He has a congenital heart condition. "We won't stay here long... We'll move closer to the hospital."

The cold atmosphere begins to lighten with the arrival of Monica's mother, Soon-ja (Youn Yuh-jung). However, Monica's overwhelming loneliness and despair remain unchanged. Even without any special incidents, it subtly shows in her expressions and tone. It is the deep-seated resentment (han) in the hearts of our mothers. Han Ye-ri said, "I portrayed her enduring patience throughout." "From her first appearance, she doesn't make a good impression. I had to show her suppressing dissatisfaction and anxiety continuously. I thought silence and sharp glances could convey that."

It is a complex mix of love and hate. Monica never stubbornly insists on her way. That much, she loves Jacob. Even in big fights, she never says she wants to break up. Han Ye-ri said, "She is a woman who loves him more than Jacob himself." "It's not just about being irritable. She's sending a signal to be noticed. Because she loves him so much."

- The desperate feelings were poignantly shown in the scene where she washes Jacob's hair. He had been digging all day, and his arms couldn't lift above his shoulders. She looked at him with tender eyes.

"It's a scene that expresses her love for Jacob. It also shows Jacob's helplessness. The water flowing down his hair hides the sadness, but Monica seems to know. She knows Jacob is secretly swallowing his frustration."

- Monica also shows a self-sacrificing attitude...

"I interpreted the role that way. Monica must have had her own dreams. She probably didn't come to America to realize them. She wanted to provide a better educational environment for her children. She has been self-sacrificing to protect her family all along. Naturally, I thought she would have strong maternal love."

- It seems this was an opportunity to better understand the parental generation.

"Raising children and finding oneself involves considerable pain, I imagined. Overcoming all difficulties, she decided to endure growing pains like her children. I don't think I fully understand that feeling. But I could definitely recognize the solid love underlying it. Thanks to that, David and Anne (Noel Cho) grow up healthy in the film. It felt like looking at my own past. I also grew up overcoming hard times with my family, like Minari."

- The Korean sentiment in your acting was impressive. Especially in the reunion scene with her mother, she repeatedly says "Aigo." It seemed to effectively express a variety of emotional exclamations.

"I wanted to show the close relationship with her mother, so I added that line myself. I wanted to give Soon-ja and Monica a sense of kinship. It probably reminded me of the hard times after being separated from my mother. The mother carrying a heavy burden and coming all this way must have felt pitiful, but also brought a sense of relief that she would understand her heart. The expression 'Aigo,' often used by my parents and grandmother, felt just right."

- It seems you minimized Monica's weaknesses, which leave little room to reveal her personality, through concise expression...

"That's too kind. I did think a lot about effective expression. I approached Monica little by little by recalling my grandmother and mother. She was a universal mother figure with Korean sentiment added. She wasn't as distinctive as Soon-ja or Jacob, but I believed she could be completed by embracing that."

- That expression felt very natural. It seemed you didn't obsess over showing a motherly face.

"Director Lee Isaac Chung never asked me to act like a mother. If he had, it would have been burdensome. I would have tried to analyze and imitate mothers' appearances at that time. Fortunately, I wasn't asked to do that, so I could act comfortably."

- How did you approach capturing Monica's atmosphere?

"I found the right tone during rehearsals. There was less room for gaps than I expected. Since there were many scenes interacting with other actors, the atmosphere required by the film naturally formed. On set, Director Chung also helped me stay true to my emotions."

- What did you hope to achieve through this performance?

"I hoped people would understand who Monica is. I wished to convey steadily how much pain she endures. Because she could be the mother of all of us."