A recent conflict has arisen that involves the movie “Minari” an American made film with an American director and actors; being cited as a foreign film to the Golden Globes, just because they mostly speak Korean throughout the film. People who are fans of the film and those who are Korean and related to the film have grown enraged over the racism that has become apparent after this nomination. Many people have argued (mainly on Twitter) that it should be in the best picture category because it’s an American film with American creators, and it’s a realistic American immigrant story. The movie is about Korean immigrants trying to make a living in America on their new farm. It’s a relevant American topic set in America. The fact that it was placed in the foreign film category based solely on them speaking Korean for a good chunk of the film is racist. It shows that they believe that just because you are in America and you speak another language, you’re not considered American, and that’s why people are so angry about this decision.
In a tweet by actor and producer Daniel Dae Kim, he stated that the nomination can be considered a “film equivalent of being told to go back to your country when that country is actually America.” This is, however, not the first foreign speaking film created by Americans about Americans that was snubbed. Last year another A24 film called, “The Farewell,” starred Awkwafina, whose character “Billi” and her family return to China under the guise of a fake wedding to stealthily say goodbye to their grandma who doesn't know she only has a few weeks to live. It’s an American’s perspective and by an American. To think that an American made film about an American immigrant’s experience is considered foreign is the exact problem with these snubs. “Minari” has yet to be released to streaming sites because it was originally seen and won at the Sundance Film Festival, while “The Farewell” is available on Amazon Prime.
Trailers for “Minari” & “The Farewell”