Direction: Davy Chou
Country: South Korea / France / other
Starring Park Ji-min, an immensely talented newcomer, Return to Seoul is a chronicle of disillusion and self-discovery that, avoiding clichés and character victimization, is both tough and tender as well as genuine and touching. The third feature from Davy Chou (Golden Slumbers, 2011; Diamond Island, 2016), who based himself on the life of a Korean friend, deals with two delicate subjects: the confrontation of cultures and the search for one's origins.
The director, who was born in France to Cambodian parents, identified himself with part of the story as he only visited Cambodia at the age 25. Just like Frederique (Ji-min), the volatile protagonist of the film, who, at that same age, leaves France - where she was adopted as a baby - to visit her country of birth, South Korea. Even denying it at first, her conscious intention is to connect with their biological parents (Oh Kwang-rok, Choi Cho-woo).
Life sends her in different directions - from wild partygoer to intoxicated gothic to missile negotiator - but the fear of abandonment never leaves her. She can be spirited, aggressive, offensive, and even mean sometimes as she abruptly cuts ties with the ones she loves. All her unexpected behaviors come from the sadness of lacking an identity and fear of rejection. Will she ever have relief from this eternal quest?
There’s total involvement from the cast, which gives rise to a stunning authenticity, yet it’s Ji-min, a visual artist, who carries the film on her shoulders. A few funny moments decompress the heaviness of deep emotional wounds that need courage and a long process to heal. Return to Seoul is a compellingly constructed, deeply felt drama.
