Yearning to own a small patch of land and be more than a chicken sexer, the ambitious paterfamilias, Jacob Yi, relocates his Korean-American family, sceptical wife, Monica, and their children, David and Anne, from California to 1980s rural Arkansas, to start afresh and capture the elusive American Dream. However, new beginnings are always challenging, and to find out what is best for the family, let alone start a 50-acre farm to grow and sell Korean fruits and vegetables, is easier said than done.
Discussion Questions
- What does this movie say to you about following your dreams?How does the movie explore the tension between the past, present and future for different characters?
- Was there a dialogue or scene or a character that struck you?
- The road to a ‘better life’ is often fraught with unexpected challenges. Name some of the obstacles the family faced in Arkansas?
- Margaret Silf in her book on Ignatian Prayer called Inner Compass talks about how desires in our life can be life-giving or enslaving, depending on the energy they release in our lives. In what ways, if any, does the movie speak this?
- Does the movie make you think of any biblical passage or story?
- Think of an experience you've had of either the slavery of wanting something or the freedom of effortless effort?
- Imagine an addendum to the movie titled "One Month Later". What is happening?