Return to Seoul (ENG SUBS)

While on a spontaneous trip to her birth country South Korea, 25-year-old Freddie, who was adopted and raised in France, decides to look for her biological parents on a whim. The fierce young woman embarks on a journey of self-discovery that takes her from quiet villages to bustling nightclubs. In an elliptical narrative spanning eight years, Freddie’s life takes unexpected turns that challenge who she thought she was and who she could become.

Return to Seoul was the opening film and a great success at CinemAsia, the film festival that took place from March 7 to 12 in Studio/K! With this film, director Davy Chou resists the sentimental tropes of roots-searching narratives, instead playing with the unpredictable strength of Freddie’s persona to craft a cinematic tour de force. With a star-making performance by first-time actress Park Ji-min, Return to Seoul is a bold quest for meaning and stability amidst the existential drift of life.