Flames and Ashes
In the time that the family was away, Soon-ja accidentally sets the barn on fire. Upon arriving on the scene, Jacob rushes into the burning building to save the crops stored inside, and Monica rushes after him in the hope of saving him from any harm. While they are able to salvage some of the produce, they ultimately help each other escape the flames, thus defeating Jacob’s line of argument totally — when it finally came down to it, he chose to place his wife above the crops.
As the barn burns down, Soon-ja, dazed and out-of-sorts, wanders off by herself. David chases after her when she doesn’t respond to his and Anne’s shouts. He blocks Soon-ja’s way and a look of recognition comes over her face. She gives him her hand and allows herself to be taken back to the house, where the family falls asleep on the floor out of the physical and mental toll of the fire. Soon-ja watches them serenely as they sleep, as though she were a guardian figure looking after them.
Minari ends with Jacob and Monica deciding on a location for the new well, which is marked with a stone. He then takes David down to the creek, where they harvest the minari, a plant that is said to die in its first season and regrow in the second to a far superior standard.
The ending does not clarify whether or not Soon-ja lived, and that is incidental to the film itself. Soon-ja’s whole existence within the film’s narrative revolved around proving herself to be a member of the family who contributed in one way or another, and she ultimately did, by bringing the squabbling couple back together and by planting the minari.
