Minari’s Golden Globe Nomination Is Controversial — Here’s What You Need To Know

*This is an editorial piece and should be read as such. The views expressed are that of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of this She’s a Full on Monet. We are a platform for women’s voices that welcomes and encourages all voices from women of any and all walks of life.*

Awards season is an exciting time for filmmakers, actors, actresses, and fans alike but in recent years it has been plagued with controversy over snubs and acts of discrimination. Huge events like the Grammy’s and Golden Globes have lost their credibility and legitimacy over time, with many upset artists and talents calling out these establishments for unfair rules and “surprises”. What am I referring to exactly?

The serious lack of diversity in nominations is obvious. For example, Emily in Paris (which was pretty terrible by the way) found itself a nomination but somehow there was no room for any Black-led film in the motion picture drama category to receive a nomination (the films were “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” “Judas and the Black Messiah,” “One Night in Miami” and “Da 5 Bloods”). 

That brings us to A24’s Minari, a semi-autobiographical film directed by Korean-American director Isaac Lee Chung, about a Korean family who immigrates to Arkansas in the 1980’s to pursue the American dream. This film features major talents Steven Yeun, Han Ye-Ri, and Youn Yuh-Jung. While it’s a critically acclaimed film, the Golden Globes decided to shut it out of the Best Picture race and has been placed to compete in the Best Foreign Film instead. Sound familiar?

“The same thing happened with The Farewell last year, to similar uproar, but at least there the HFPA could argue that, while it is an American film, much of it takes place in China. Minari, by contrast, takes place entirely in Middle America and is telling the most American of stories — the struggle of immigrants to achieve their dreams without losing touch with the culture of the Old Country.” (Vulture)

There is an antiquated HFPA standard that states for a film to qualify for Best Picture, more than 50% of the movie must be in English. But remember when Inglourious Basterds (which was only in 30% English by the way) won in the Best Picture category? “Several film journalists noted the hypocrisy of the HFPA for shutting out “Minari” for Best Picture while nominating films such as Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglourious Basterds” and Alejandro González Iñárritu’s “Babel” in the main Best Picture races in the past. Like “Minari,” these films also predominantly featured foreign languages.” (IndieWire)

“Since Minari mostly unfolds in Korean, it doesn’t meet the English-language threshold, despite being an American production directed by Chung, a Denver-born filmmaker.” (Entertainment Weekly)

Furthermore, the Globes has created a sense that the foreign films category is regarded as a “lesser” category, especially since they do not have their own Best Actor and Best Actress categories the way other film categories do. The public has also expressed their disappointment in acting snubs for the whole cast of Minari.

This controversy begs the following question: What counts as American? Does it have to look white-passing and speak only English? Although Minari is about a Korean-American family, the journey deeply resonates with me (a daughter to immigrant parents from Vietnam and Indonesia) along with many immigrant and first-generation American families from all backgrounds who have persevered to achieve the American dream. This representation is a significant one, and this shared experience should make us as American as anyone else. Those in the BIPOC-community, especially Asian-Americans, feel that this is just another act of ongoing racism and discrimination where we have to prove our “American-ness” in order to be acknowledged with the same level of respect and recognition as our white counterparts. Korean-American actor, Daniel Dae Kim, summed it up perfectly when he said:

For More Articles on Entertainment And Social Issues, Check Out:

Netflix’s The White Tiger Tries To Give A Fresh Take On Classism, But Does It Deliver?

This Is What It’s Actually Like Being Adopted From Asia And Raised In A White Family