![GO BIG OR GO HOME](https://cdn.magzter.com/1452683603/1721917136/articles/hamUDnH2t1721978072389/GO-BIG-OR-GO-HOME.jpg)
NO ONE MAKES A MOVIE IN A VACUUM. Even filmmakers working with the most micro of microbudgets want their films to be seen; movies are, after all, a mode of communication, a way of celebrating shared experiences or locating common ground amid differences. It's no wonder filmmakers who make a big splash with a small film often want to stretch their horizons by working on a larger canvas, with a fatter budget and flashier stars, all in the service of speaking to us.
One of the surprise indie hits of 2020 was Lee Isaac Chung's Minari, an intimate, semiautobiographical drama about a Korean American family struggling to establish a farm in rural Arkansas. Minari earned six Academy Award nominations; one of its stars, Youn Yuh-jungas a swearing, card-playing Korean grandmawon for Best Supporting Actress. And its success brought Chung a golden opportunity: this summer sees the release of Twisters, his reimagining of Jan de Bont's nature-gone-wild thriller Twister, from 1996. In Twisters, Daisy EdgarJones and Glen Powell play rival storm chasers tearing through Oklahoma's Tornado Alley though it turns out that even though she's a serious-minded researcher and he's a YouTube star, they have more in common than they think.
Twisters is a movie with a $200 million budget; Minari cost $2 million. That makes Chung just the latest in a long line of directors who have grabbed the chance to leap from low-key indie success to blockbuster attention grabber. More broadly, though, a big swing like this is a test of how we moviegoers feel about filmmakers as artists. Everyone loves an underdog hero. But what happens when a filmmaker sets their sights on a bigger project, one designed to reach a wider audience and, ideally, to net a handsome payoff? Is that selling out or stepping up? And in a climate where movies designed to be viewed on the big screen face an uncertain future, is it an act of hope or an exercise in futility?
This story is from the August 05, 2024 edition of Time.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the August 05, 2024 edition of Time.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
![Justin Theroux The Emmy-winning actor, writer, and producer on Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, his roles in cult classics, and the enduring love for The Leftovers](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/12427/1822508/XYrVBeXGN1725617821786/JUSTIN-THEROUX-THE-EMMYWINNING-ACTOR-WRITER-AND-PRODUCER-ON-BEETLEJUICE-BEETLEJUICE-HIS-ROLES-IN-CULT-CLASSICS-AND-THE-ENDURING-LOVE-FOR-THE-LEFTOVERS.jpg)
Justin Theroux The Emmy-winning actor, writer, and producer on Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, his roles in cult classics, and the enduring love for The Leftovers
I was absolutely a fan.
![An adaptation of Three Women makes four a crowd](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/12427/1822508/lJlzMAo_z1725617616916/AN-ADAPTATION-OF-THREE-WOMEN-MAKES-FOUR-A-CROWD.jpg)
An adaptation of Three Women makes four a crowd
FOR A WORK OF LITERARY NONFICTION TO thrill readers the way Lisa Taddeo's 2019 best seller Three Women has done, it must offer more than just rich subject matter.
![3 sisters and one empty recliner](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/12427/1822508/pULC6Cmwh1725617543654/3-SISTERS-AND-ONE-EMPTY-RECLINER.jpg)
3 sisters and one empty recliner
DEATH CAN BOTH TEAR FAMILY MEMBERS apart and bind them closer-often simultaneously.
![NATASHA ROTHWELL OUT FRONT](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/12427/1822508/y3Gynycag1725617325283/NATASHA-ROTHWELL-OUT-FRONT.jpg)
NATASHA ROTHWELL OUT FRONT
The creator-performer moves from beloved supporting roles to center stage in a deeply personal new comedy series
![STILL PROCESSING](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/12427/1822508/5UuldHQ7Y1725617072480/STILL-PROCESSING.jpg)
STILL PROCESSING
Not all ultra-processed foods are the same. Or, some argue, even unhealthy
![IRON FIST](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/12427/1822508/x3N4gc1YI1725616352584/IRON-FIST.jpg)
IRON FIST
A crackdown on El Salvador’s gangs made Nayib Bukele one of the world’s most popular leaders. Is he going too far?
![Long-distance relationships aren't just for romance](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/12427/1822508/WAJh_Cl-U1725616272050/LONGDISTANCE-RELATIONSHIPS-ARENT-JUST-FOR-ROMANCE.jpg)
Long-distance relationships aren't just for romance
NURTURING LONG-DISTANCE friendships takes work, but the payoff is worth it-and even small gestures can keep bonds alive.
![HOW TO KNOW IF YOUR DYNAMIC IS TOXIC AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/12427/1822508/zAw2t4_gN1725616210011/HOW-TO-KNOW-IF-YOUR-DYNAMIC-IS-TOXIC-AND-WHAT-TO-DO-ABOUT-IT.jpg)
HOW TO KNOW IF YOUR DYNAMIC IS TOXIC AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT
Friends can be great-until they're not.
![It's never too late to make new friends](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/12427/1822508/ORxgS8FB01725615986848/ITS-NEVER-TOO-LATE-TO-MAKE-NEW-FRIENDS.jpg)
It's never too late to make new friends
CHRIS DUFFY ISN'T GOING TO SUGARcoat it: making friends as an adult is hard.
![Polaris Dawn opens a new chapter in space](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/12427/1822508/XkiAp2uCA1725615835643/POLARIS-DAWN-OPENS-A-NEW-CHAPTER-IN-SPACE.jpg)
Polaris Dawn opens a new chapter in space
IT WAS A VERY BIG DEAL ON SEPT. 14, 1966, WHEN ASTROnauts Pete Conrad and Dick Gordon flew their Gemini 11 spacecraft to a record altitude of 850 miles. It has remained a big deal for 58 years, while that benchmark for a crewed spacecraft in Earth orbit remained.