Screenplay Structure Analysis

Minari

Written by Lee Isaac Chung · Drama · 98 pages · 144 scenes · 3-act natural structure · linear organization · Analysis confidence: High

A Korean American family pursues the American Dream by starting a farm in rural Arkansas in the 1980s, while a young boy with a heart condition navigates his relationship with his traditional grandmother and watches his parents' marriage strain under the weight of their aspirations.

Tone
Intimate, contemplative, bittersweet

Tension curve

Dramatic intensity across Minari from first page to last, sampled at 40 points on a 0–10 scale. Values: 4.7, 4.7, 4.9, 5.8, 6.7, 7.1, 6.5, 5.2, 4.2, 3.8, 4.2, 4.5, 4.7, 4.5, 4.7, 4.8, 4.9, 4.6, 4.4, 4.8, 5.1, 5, 4.6, 4.7, 5.2, 5.5, 5.6, 5.6, 5.6, 5.3, 4.8, 4.8, 4.6, 4.9, 5.4, 6.3, 7.3, 7.8, 6.3, 5.1.

Structure at a glance

Inciting incident
Page 2, 2% of the script: The family arrives at a single-wide trailer home in a vast meadow, with Monica questioning what this place is and Jacob declaring it their new home.
Act 1 break
Page 35, 36% of the script: Grandmother Soonja arrives, fundamentally changing the family dynamic and establishing the central relationships that will drive the story forward.
Midpoint
Page 65, 66% of the script: David plays on rocks over the water while Soonja weeds the growing minari sprouts in the stream, explaining how minari is wonderful food that grows like weeds and can heal anyone, rich or poor, as David sings and dances about minari.
Act 2 break
Page 79, 81% of the script: The family dinner with Paul marks a moment of temporary stability before the final crisis, as David and Soonja have reconciled and the farm seems to be finding its footing.
Climax
Page 93, 95% of the script: Smoke and flames separate Jacob and Monica in the burning barn until Jacob finds her crawling on the ground and they escape together, while Soonja turns toward the road.
Peak tension
7.8 out of 10, reached about 95% of the way through; the script averages 5.2.
Average scene length
1.1 pages

Structural personality

This is a beautifully patient, character-driven narrative that unfolds like memory itself - episodic yet cohesive, building emotional weight through accumulated small moments rather than dramatic plot turns. The structure mirrors the rhythms of rural life and childhood perception, where significant events (Soonja's arrival, David's medical visits, the barn fire) punctuate long stretches of daily routine. The script trusts in the power of specificity and cultural detail to create universal emotional resonance. The three-act structure serves the story's emotional arc rather than plot mechanics: Act 1 establishes the family's precarious new life and introduces the central tensions, Act 2 deepens relationships (particularly David and Soonja's) while external pressures mount, and Act 3 brings crisis and resolution through loss, acceptance, and the promise of renewal symbolized by the minari.

Pacing

The pacing is deliberately contemplative, with an average scene length of just over one page creating a mosaic-like structure. Key sequences like the tornado (scenes 12-15), Soonja's stroke (scenes 96-109), and the barn fire (scenes 132-137) are given breathing room to develop emotional impact. The script uses seasonal progression and the farm's cycles to create natural rhythm, with moments of crisis punctuating longer stretches of character development and cultural observation.

Themes

Similar shapes

Screenplays whose tension curve most closely matches Minari.

Scene summaries and structural markers are generated by AI analysis of the screenplay text and may contain minor inaccuracies. ScriptGraph analyzes structure and does not reproduce screenplay text.

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