ReturnToSeoul Review: Davy Chou Crafts Staggeringly Beautiful Character Study
Return to Seoul is an odyssey, with a mercurial and alluring lead undertaking the greatest journey of all — self-discovery. Writer-director Davy Chou sets up a narrative that is not new, but still feels fresh and dynamic, especially given the complexities of the protagonist. Chou ultimately steps outside the normal tropes and seizes his opportunities to gather as much nuance and heartache from the main character's, Freddie's, ordeal.
SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY Freddie is an adoptee from Korea who was raised in France. Having lost much of her connection to Korea due to time and distance, Freddie wants to return, but how does one return to a place that was never truly their home? Chou’s narrative is thought-provoking and without an easy conclusion. The story isn’t about Freddie’s journey for answers or a home. Rather, it's an impactful example of what many adoptees do face, and that is accepting non-answers.
The story is as ever-evolving as Freddie herself. The audience is led to believe that her problem is simply coming to terms with being adopted and, by extension, abandoned by her birth parents. However, just as her adoption story isn’t so easily defined, her personal arc is just the same. Freddie, whether she is aware of it or not, is undergoing a transformative journey that encompasses her unresolved feelings about her family and her desire to find a place she belongs.
When Davy Chou found Park Ji-min, this writer is sure he felt the same way David O. Selznick felt when he met his Scarlet O’Hara in Vivien Leigh because Ji-min is a force of nature. She is as versatile as the greats who have worked for ages, yet she is a newcomer, Return to Seoul being her acting debut. She naturally settles into Freddie’s persona, which is explicitly volcanic at certain stages and, at other times, ice-cold.
Return to Seoul is a great movie that slipped through the cracks during the festival and awards season. Sure, it garnered attention, nominations, and a few wins, but the culture surrounding these events hardly allows space for films that do not conform to the status quo. Only a few are afforded the pleasure of being included, and the rest will simply survive off the words of critics who champion all great films regardless of their mainstream appeal. Return to Seoul deserves attention.
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