Ritorno a Seoul

I saw this film yesterday and I thought that it's an original and unique film, but somewhat difficult to enjoy. An issue that many people have is that they can't connect to Freddy, the main character, and I get why. Her behaviour is often erratic, and then at times repelling and harsh to others. As she really takes centre stage in this film, it can be hard even for the spectator to put up with her behaviour, even though it is nowhere near outright evil. I thought a bit more about this, and will share my view of it. I won't reveal any detail of the film that you can't find in any generic introduction, so no spoilers, however if you want to watch this and build your own understanding unaffected by my interpretation, you may not want to read on.

I actually know well a person in a similar situation to Freddy, somebody from outside Europe who was adopted to Europe at the age of half a year. There are clear parallels also in behaviour. Being abandoned is a primal experience for adopted children. In these cases an additional thing is that the environment can clearly see that the parents are not the biological parents, and some may think the child "doesn't belong" in the country to where it was adopted. This will add to their experience of being somewhat odd and maybe not really accepted, even though the adoptive parents themselves may not convey anything of that kind. What I see in Freddy is a very strong tendency to keep up and defend her own independence fiercely, particularly if somebody else gets closer. The biological parents have given her away, so it is hard to handle and accept for her if she meets them again and they want some closer contact. I think there is much fear of being abandoned again involved. She may also have tried extra hard to become a proper French person when growing up, potentially facing some prejudice but also encouragement there, and she may identify South Korea as a place that abandoned her, even though there is also curiosity and a certain feeling of connection that she has difficulties allowing for herself. So she develops this rather ambivalent relationship to South Korea and the people there, sometimes behaving extra strange, sometimes getting closer, then again wanting to run away when indeed somebody gets a bit closer. There may also be an element of trying to prove life wrong, trying to show to herself that ultimately she isn't rejected by South Korea and her biological parents, but with a lot of suspicion and self protection at the same time. So thinking about this a bit longer, ultimately her behaviour makes a lot of sense to me, even in its superficial inconsistency.

So after a day I think this is actually very well done and convincing, and I'll give it 8 stars, even though I hadn't felt like that yesterday when the film ended. Note, explanations are not normally given in the film. She does what she does but she really isn't communicative about her motives, so we can only speculate. But it makes all sense to me, given also my personal knowledge of such a person.

Return to Seoul is an ambitious film, telling the story of a young woman named Freddie, who was born to Korean parents, but grew up in France. She - you guessed it - returns to Seoul, partly motivated to search for them, in her early to mid-20s. From there, the movie plays out sort of the way you'd expect for a while... until it makes some interesting narrative decisions, spanning far more time than I'd expected it would. As such, we get an insight into Freddie and the ways she changes throughout her 20s and into her early 30s.

Tonally, it's very different from The Worst Person in the World, but I got flashes of that film from this; maybe it scratched a similar itch. Each looks at a troubled & flawed, yet interesting, compelling, and sympathetic young protagonist, each spans quite a long period of time, each explores loneliness and the trials and tribulations of early adulthood in a very hard-hitting way, and each is quite visually striking. But like I said, they're tonally different, given Return to Seoul is more of a straightforward drama than a romantic-dramedy, and it gets darker and more in-depth with its exploration of loneliness (which hits extra hard, given what the world's been through since the start of the 2020s).

It's not always clear where the film is going, and some of the decisions it makes are quite jarring (though most work for the story and characters, once the shock wears off). The pacing is quite slow, but the compelling main character, the visually pleasing look of the film, and the amazing acting kept me engaged for almost all of its two-hour runtime. Park Ji-Min gives one of the best performances of 2022, and I was shocked to read this is her first ever movie. A performance like this that's so central makes or breaks this kind of character-focused film, and thankfully, she's up to the task and then some.

This might not be everyone's cup of tea, but I liked it a lot. While it was deliberately-paced, it never lost me, and I found some of the scenes quite moving. It's a very good movie; hopefully it won't go under too many people's radars, as Awards Season ramps up.

Return to Seoul is a captivating film that presents an intimate and complex portrayal of Freddie, although the larger context of her life is missing. However, the film's commitment to staying in the moment keeps the audience engaged. While the film does not have a strong emotional impact, it remains focused on Freddie's search for her identity and origins. Nevertheless, the movie lacks originality and does not distinguish itself from other films with similar themes. Despite this, Return to Seoul is still a well-made film that provides a compelling character portrait, albeit with some rambling sequences that do not add much to the story.

Return to Seoul: A stranger in a strange land, adopted as a bay from South Korea and raised in France, 25 year old Freddie (Ji-Min Park) returns. It is a bit of a culture shock but she quickly makes friends. She is persuaded to contact her birth parents through the adoption agency and eventually her father responds. All does not go swimmingly especially as Freddie's free spirit clashes with Korean reticence and patriarchal norms. Freddie herself however is self-centred and even cruel to friends and family. The film captures snapshots her life for her first two weeks as an returnee in Korea, two years later, five years after that and finally a year later, eight years since her first return visit. She develops in some ways, degenerates in others. An interesting tale of loss, acceptance, search for identity and longing on the part of Freddie. Directed and written by Davy Chou. 8/10.

As an audience member, films that cover the topic of adoption, there are expected themes of identity involved. But instead we get more of a random style of set-pieces within the conventional moments that represented identity in a unique way.

For the most part, it worked for the character and the story. But there were some that I just couldn't get on board with and some were even so random they were unforgivable.

I really liked Park Ji-Min's performance. I enjoyed the attitude that she gave to the leading character and the spontaneous moments that she orchestrated were largely memorable and one of the strongest parts of the film.

I liked the overall look. It was able to give us some effective imagery in different environments and never feel like different films.

The pacing was gentle. There were some purposeful lingering shots which worked well for the most part. Also, the camerawork was respectful with its wide shots as it let the pictures do the talking instead of taking over and turning it into something that wasn't intended.

As mentioned, I wasn't invested with every decision made. Some of the choices in the narrative in the second half made no sense to me. There were others I appreciated, but just wasn't a fan of them.

Despite that, I thought this was still a good enough drama that was worth my time. It's got a solid leading performance that you're willing to invest in. It also poses some interesting representations on the themes of identity that I've not seen before.

I cannot forgive some of the random moments in the second half. But nevertheless, there was enough engrossing moments to keep me guessing how this would end.