The movie <Minari> starts not with words but with the harmony of music filling the whole space accompanying a family who goes into lonesome nature in the beautiful country in search of a new nest, half expectant, half worried. This scene foreshadows the beauty of a family story with the future spread before them in the movie and what at the same time is already history to us. And it is not only the first scene but also Emile Mosseri’s music that brings about colorful imagination in the audience’s mind; in the movie which progresses without any dramatic event, conflict, or tension except the last scene of fire, Mosseri’s music draws out more stories and feelings than we may see with our eyes.
At some moments music not only supplements the scene but can also tell more stories not seen in the scene. And in this case music stands up to appeal to its own concrete claims or stories rather than simply participating in it, making image like dry ice by arranging notes and rhythms. That is, music does not only remain as a prop for mise-en-scene but its claims function as words or narration. And the music is more likely to have the high quality to be enjoyed by itself independently of the movie. Such music can be carved in our heart with lucid and beautiful melodies as long as the scenes of the movie do. Just as a message is made clear when expressed with refined and concrete words, the meaning of the sound in music can be expressed clearly, in many cases, with clear and impressive melodies. Such is Ennio Morricone’s or John Williams’. And Emile Mosseri’s original soundtrack of <Minari> also fits with it.
The title 「Big Country」 is the theme with the most impressive melody among all the tracks in the original soundtrack, contributing importantly to opening an almost perfect intro. This theme which is reprised under the title, 「Rain Song」 sung by Han Ye-ri at the end of the movie gives history and universality to a family’s story. That is, we may already feel by intuition at the very beginning that through the beautiful melody a soundscape of this theme in 「Big Country」 as a family anthem shows that the story of this family is the story of all families regardless of race and will remain as a history of all immigrants.
The theme of 「Jacob and the Stone」 is the one of land and nature which embraces all things in this family. It has a very simple and common melody and harmony but we may see that its very basic development of harmony is like the generosity of nature. This theme is varied as a symbol of the land watching Jacob trying to make a big garden and apply the Korean farming way to Arkansas in America and struggling for fear of failing in proving himself facing the water shortage. And it also ends in a theme of Mother Nature for the family who take root in their own new life in the strange land like minari. The theme of 「Jacob and the Stone」 sounding at the moment when all their efforts come to nothing and the emergency goes to its climax due to the fire in the warehouse at the end of the movie especially let us know that this ‘total destruction’ is ‘relieving,' that is, an initiation for the family. The family happens to learn how precious they are to one another and figures out the solution for their suppressed feelings, having a new day for themselves.
The theme of 「Garden of Eden」 is the sound of comfort and peace on the surface, tangled with discomfort and doubt unknowingly springing and growing in between. We may hear this theme of 「Garden of Eden」 while seeing Monica’s face on a sunny day looking at her children running and playing or the family holding the crops and going out to the city to check up on David’s heart and it inserts more stories for these scenes of no words.
Particularly, this movie has many Christian images here and there and we may guess it is because the director himself reflected his family life in the large frame of ‘God’s plan’. The movie does not strongly suggest a point of view of a particular religion but the names of the characters, the scenes of ‘Paul’ and church, and the snake scene remind us of God’s shadow holding out his hand consistently to this family.
And this Existence makes himself known by the sounds unceasingly heard in many soundtracks; the sound may be heard like God’s subtle and holy voice or the angels’ chorus and it must be specially modified on the voice of Emile Mosseri and a choir or made by a synthesizer’s modulation. The sound intervenes in the family’s life with various features in various themes of music. The sound implies that they consistently pray for help and a certain existence answering that prayer is in charge of the family. This is also another apparatus which completes the story of the movie.
Seo Young-ho Musician / Translated by Park Eun-sun
* 《Cultura》 2021 July (Vol. 85) *
