RETURN TO SEOUL

The movie's valid points about identity, cultural divides and the need for family connections are too often buried under a needlessly detached narrative.

In Return to Seoul a young French woman takes an impromptu trip to South Korea and during her stay attempts to reconnect with her biological parents, who gave her up for adoption as a baby.

If that sounds like a classic, touching feelgood story, think again.

In the hands of director Davy Chou and star Park Ji-min the tale is an at times uncomfortably barbed one, that has a distinct dislike for easy sentimentality. In some scenes, especially early on in the film, this works but the further Return to Seoul progresses, the more the cynical, cold behaviour of the quite unsympathetic lead character starts to grate, to the point of wondering why she even bothers to stick around in Seoul.

That’s not to say that the movie doesn’t make any valid points about identity, cultural divides and the need for family connections, but they are too often buried under a needlessly detached narrative.

Return to Seoul does slightly course-correct in a well-fashioned third act with a poignant final scene, even if you’re still left with the feeling that a better movie could be culled from the central premise.

release: 2022

director: Davy Chou

starring: Park Ji-min, Oh Kwang-rok, Guka Han, Kim Sun-young