Return to Seoul

19 June 2022

Director: Davy Chou

See

Him: Freddie, a Frenchwoman of Korean heritage returns to Seoul unexpectedly and begins to uncover her past, by revealing how she came to be adopted, who her parents are, and who she is herself. 

Her: A story of Freddie who travelled back to South Korea where she was born to discover more than she could have imagined, including her own personal fears, desires and past of inherited identity. 

Think

Him: The three act structure and passage of time of Frederique at 25, 27, 32 and 33 was insightful. First, she didn’t want to be defined by others, and was having a superficial Korean experienced. Then stayed and got deeper through the underground scene, until she later reconnected with her biological family and made peace with her adoption. 

Her: At the start this film appeared to be a light-hearted but spot on observation of teenager communications but quickly developed into a serious into the main characters persona through these accidents and deliberate encounters. I also liked what Davey (Chou) said about this story being a collection of different stories and observations from his own life and that this is what makes this personal story so universal and relatable.

Feel

Him: She came across so self assured outwardly but the way Freddie treated new friends, old family and relations with contempt conveyed she was hurting. Longing for something elusive to know herself and come to terms with all the people she’ll never be (the original title was All The People I’ll Never Be).

Her: The premise that Freddie at first wasn’t looking for the life changing events she ended up finding in Seoul. This is something that I can related to and experienced in my own life. Like accepting to invitation to watch the Worst Person in the World cause it felt right.