Davy Chou's Return to Seoul is now showing exclusively on Mubi from July 7, 2023, in many countries—including the United Kingdom, India, and Turkey—in the series The New Auteurs.Return to Seoul.Although stories about adoptees run the risk of becoming hackneyed melodrama, Return to Seoul skillfully avoids this trap. It’s both a singular portrait of a ferociously memorable character and a universal story of finding one’s identity at large—but this summation doesn’t capture the film’s nuances and canvas of references. Working in a country that is not his own, French-Cambodian director Davy Chou keenly observes the subtleties of Korean culture, as well as the limits of language that perpetually unveil the characters’ divergent motives. The film follows Frédérique “Freddie” Benoît, a young woman who was born in Korea but raised in France, as she spontaneously travels to the country of her birth. Checking into an unassuming hostel,...
- 7/7/2023
- MUBI
An adopted woman travels from France to South Korea in search of her roots in Davy Chou’s star-making second film
The Cambodian-French film-maker Davy Chou, a longtime champion of “lost” Cambodian cinema, made a splash in Cannes in 2016 with his dramatic feature debut, Diamond Island, a prize winner in the international critics’ week strand. For the lead role in his follow-up feature, Return to Seoul, about an adoptee who travels from France to Korea in search of her roots, he turned to Korean-born visual artist Park Ji-min, who had moved to France as a child but had no acting experience. An intense period of collaboration followed, and the result is this remarkably intimate and very affecting drama – an episodic odyssey (inspired by script consultant Laure Badufle) spanning the best part of a decade. It became Cambodia’s entry for this year’s 95th Academy Awards, and confirms both Chou...
The Cambodian-French film-maker Davy Chou, a longtime champion of “lost” Cambodian cinema, made a splash in Cannes in 2016 with his dramatic feature debut, Diamond Island, a prize winner in the international critics’ week strand. For the lead role in his follow-up feature, Return to Seoul, about an adoptee who travels from France to Korea in search of her roots, he turned to Korean-born visual artist Park Ji-min, who had moved to France as a child but had no acting experience. An intense period of collaboration followed, and the result is this remarkably intimate and very affecting drama – an episodic odyssey (inspired by script consultant Laure Badufle) spanning the best part of a decade. It became Cambodia’s entry for this year’s 95th Academy Awards, and confirms both Chou...
- 5/7/2023
- by Mark Kermode, Observer film critic
- The Guardian - Film News
In a terrific acting debut, Park Ji-min visits the country of her birth and decides on a whim to seek out her biological parents – with gripping consequences
The implacable forces of nature, nurture and destiny are what this movie grapples with; it is a really emotional and absorbing drama about adoption with terrific performances (many from nonprofessional first-timers) and compelling soundtrack musical cues. Franco-Cambodian film-maker Davy Chou directs, co-writing the screenplay with artist Laure Badufle, a Korean adoptee brought up in France whose personal story inspired the film.
Park Ji-min makes her acting debut in a role that mirrors her own life as well as Badufle’s: a Korean with adoptive French parents. She plays Freddie Benoît, a footloose twentysomething who on a whim comes on a trip to Seoul, checks into a hostel for foreigners and imperiously decides that the polite, French-speaking receptionist Tena, subtly played by author Guka Han,...
The implacable forces of nature, nurture and destiny are what this movie grapples with; it is a really emotional and absorbing drama about adoption with terrific performances (many from nonprofessional first-timers) and compelling soundtrack musical cues. Franco-Cambodian film-maker Davy Chou directs, co-writing the screenplay with artist Laure Badufle, a Korean adoptee brought up in France whose personal story inspired the film.
Park Ji-min makes her acting debut in a role that mirrors her own life as well as Badufle’s: a Korean with adoptive French parents. She plays Freddie Benoît, a footloose twentysomething who on a whim comes on a trip to Seoul, checks into a hostel for foreigners and imperiously decides that the polite, French-speaking receptionist Tena, subtly played by author Guka Han,...
- 5/4/2023
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
In Return to Seoul, director Davy Chou tells a moving story of fractured identity amidst a constantly changing world. It’s through the eyes of Freddie (Park Ji-Min), a 25-year-old French adoptee who, on a whim, decides to find her biological parents in South Korea. Despite not being fluent in the language and having nothing other than a photograph to aid in her search, Freddie’s journey takes an unexpected route leading her to change swiftly, reminding us life demands constant reinvention as means of survival.
Chou, who was inspired by the story of a real-life friend, creates a genre-defying film that expertly captures what it’s like to live i- between worlds without a sense of belonging to any. Sleekly shot and structured by Chou, and acted beautifully by Park, in her film debut, Return to Seoul premiered at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival and was eventually selected as Cambodia...
Chou, who was inspired by the story of a real-life friend, creates a genre-defying film that expertly captures what it’s like to live i- between worlds without a sense of belonging to any. Sleekly shot and structured by Chou, and acted beautifully by Park, in her film debut, Return to Seoul premiered at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival and was eventually selected as Cambodia...
- 2/23/2023
- by Jose Solís
- The Film Stage
Return to Seoul Review — Return to Seoul (2022) Film Review, a movie written and directed by Davy Chou and starring Park Ji-Min, Oh Kwang-rok, Guka Han, Kim Sun-young, Yoann Zimmer and Louis-Do de Lencquesaing. In Davy Chou’s thematically complex new drama, Return to Seoul, Park Ji-Min shines playing a 25-year old woman named Frederique [...]
Continue reading: Film Review: Return To Seoul (2022): Park Ji-Min Succeeds in a Leading Role in a Complex but Somewhat Incomplete Dramatic Film...
Continue reading: Film Review: Return To Seoul (2022): Park Ji-Min Succeeds in a Leading Role in a Complex but Somewhat Incomplete Dramatic Film...
- 12/7/2022
- by Thomas Duffy
- Film-Book
"You have to evaluate the danger and jump in." Sony Pictures Classics has unveiled an official trailer for an indie film from France titled Return to Seoul, from up-and-coming Cambodian-French filmmaker Davy Chou. This first premiered at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, then went on to win the Audience Award at the Hamptons Film Festival. It has been submitted by Cambodia as their official entry to the Best Internatioanl Film category at the Academy Awards this year. A 25-year-old French woman returns to Korea, the country she was born in before being adopted by a French couple, for the very first time. She decides to track down her biological parents, but her journey takes a surprising turn. The film spans years of time, following her as she struggles to deal with her identity, her parents, and her place in the world. Newcomer Park Ji-Min gives an unforgettable performance as a troubled young woman,...
- 11/30/2022
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Davy Chou’s Return to Seoul is a bit of a misnomer for it is not about a return to Seoul, but many returns – if we can say that someone who never knew her homeland could be said to be returning at all…
The film opens some years in the past, with a young Frenchwoman showing up at a cute little hostel in the South Korean capital. Frédérique (Park Ji-Min) has made a last-minute decision to return to the country of her birth after being adopted as a baby by a (white) French couple. ‘Freddie’ quickly shows herself to be spontaneous and fearless, doing away with Korean custom and quickly turning a quiet dinner into a raucous, drunken all-nighter. Her new-found friends, who include the hostel receptionist Tena (Guka Han), are both enraptured and shocked by her, although audiences may find her snarky expression and slappable smirk a little less entrancing.
The film opens some years in the past, with a young Frenchwoman showing up at a cute little hostel in the South Korean capital. Frédérique (Park Ji-Min) has made a last-minute decision to return to the country of her birth after being adopted as a baby by a (white) French couple. ‘Freddie’ quickly shows herself to be spontaneous and fearless, doing away with Korean custom and quickly turning a quiet dinner into a raucous, drunken all-nighter. Her new-found friends, who include the hostel receptionist Tena (Guka Han), are both enraptured and shocked by her, although audiences may find her snarky expression and slappable smirk a little less entrancing.
- 11/15/2022
- by Jo-Ann Titmarsh
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Keep track of all the submissions for best international feature at the 2023 Academy Awards.
Entries for the 2023 Oscar for best international feature are underway, and Screen is profiling each one on this page.
Scroll down for profiles of each Oscar entry
An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture produced outside the US with a predominantly (more than 50) non-English dialogue track and can include animated and documentary features.
Submitted films must have been released theatrically in their respective countries between January 1, 2022 and November 30, 2022. The deadline for submissions to the Academy is October 3, 2022.
A shortlist of 15 finalists is...
Entries for the 2023 Oscar for best international feature are underway, and Screen is profiling each one on this page.
Scroll down for profiles of each Oscar entry
An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture produced outside the US with a predominantly (more than 50) non-English dialogue track and can include animated and documentary features.
Submitted films must have been released theatrically in their respective countries between January 1, 2022 and November 30, 2022. The deadline for submissions to the Academy is October 3, 2022.
A shortlist of 15 finalists is...
- 10/18/2022
- by Screen staff
- ScreenDaily
Keep track of all the submissions for best international feature at the 2023 Academy Awards.
Entries for the 2023 Oscar for best international feature are underway, and Screen is profiling each one on this page.
Scroll down for profiles of each Oscar entry
An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture produced outside the US with a predominantly (more than 50) non-English dialogue track and can include animated and documentary features.
Submitted films must have been released theatrically in their respective countries between January 1, 2022 and November 30, 2022. The deadline for submissions to the Academy is October 3, 2022.
A shortlist of 15 finalists is...
Entries for the 2023 Oscar for best international feature are underway, and Screen is profiling each one on this page.
Scroll down for profiles of each Oscar entry
An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture produced outside the US with a predominantly (more than 50) non-English dialogue track and can include animated and documentary features.
Submitted films must have been released theatrically in their respective countries between January 1, 2022 and November 30, 2022. The deadline for submissions to the Academy is October 3, 2022.
A shortlist of 15 finalists is...
- 10/17/2022
- by Screen staff
- ScreenDaily
Cultural identity is a messy business. Its boundaries are undefined, its meaning is oft-debated, and yet it means so much and so little all at once. For transracial adoptees, that meaning is all the more muddled. Many children of Asian descent who are adopted by (usually white) parents from different countries find themselves perpetual outsiders — they look different than the friends and family they grow up alongside, but have a hard time finding a comfortable place in the cultures of their biological parents. "Return to Seoul," a restless, roaming adoption drama directed and written by Davy Chou, captures the ineffable angst of this feeling of not belonging, yet always yearning to belong.
Freddie Benoit doesn't want to meet her biological parents. Probably. Adopted by French parents from Korea as a baby, the 25-year-old young woman traveled to Seoul, Korea, on a whim — her usual trip to Japan got canceled — and...
Freddie Benoit doesn't want to meet her biological parents. Probably. Adopted by French parents from Korea as a baby, the 25-year-old young woman traveled to Seoul, Korea, on a whim — her usual trip to Japan got canceled — and...
- 10/17/2022
- by Hoai-Tran Bui
- Slash Film
In order to return somewhere, you first have to leave it. So it’s arguable whether the initial visit in Davy Chou’s strange, deep, changeable and wise “Return to Seoul” even qualifies in a meaningful sense as a return. 25-year-old Freddie (Park Ji-min), the film’s charismatic, mercurial protagonist, was adopted by French parents as a baby, and has no memory of the voyage that removed her from the country of her birth. But though she is the last to admit it, there is more to her jaunt to Korea than coincidence and idle curiosity. While Chou’s elliptical screenplay gently explodes many preconceived assumptions about the effects of adoption on adoptees, it is too clear-sighted to ignore the fact that whether biology affects identity or not, the mere possibility that such a link exists could exert a powerful attraction on a searching spirit not quite sure what it is searching for.
- 5/27/2022
- by Jessica Kiang
- Variety Film + TV
An adoptee explores her Korean roots in Return To Seoul, Davy Chou’s engaging drama premiering at Cannes in Un Certain Regard. Newcomer Park Ji-Min plays the magnificently complex Freddie, who was raised in France and has impetuously decided to spend a couple of weeks in the country of her birth.
There, Freddie befriends the first person she meets: Tena (Guka Han), who works at the funky little hotel Freddie is staying in. Tena gently encourages Freddie to visit the adoption agency, who offer to contact her birth parents. But Freddie’s encounters with her father aren’t easy.
The film then enters its second act, picking up on her life years later, while a third act continues her story, rather than concluding it. This is not a tale of harmonious endings, but an exploration of a character trying to come to terms with her past.
Park Ji-Min is an...
There, Freddie befriends the first person she meets: Tena (Guka Han), who works at the funky little hotel Freddie is staying in. Tena gently encourages Freddie to visit the adoption agency, who offer to contact her birth parents. But Freddie’s encounters with her father aren’t easy.
The film then enters its second act, picking up on her life years later, while a third act continues her story, rather than concluding it. This is not a tale of harmonious endings, but an exploration of a character trying to come to terms with her past.
Park Ji-Min is an...
- 5/22/2022
- by Anna Smith
- Deadline Film + TV
Arthouse distribution, streaming and production company Mubi has taken all rights for the U.K., Ireland, Italy, Turkey, India and Southeast Asia (excluding the Philippines and theatrical rights in Cambodia) for Davy Chou’s “Return to Seoul,” which plays in Un Certain Regard at the Cannes Film Festival. MK2 films is handling international sales.
Sony Pictures Classics recently picked up rights in North America, Latin America, the Middle East, Australia and New Zealand.
The film centers on 25-year-old Freddie, who on an impulse to reconnect with her origins, returns to South Korea for the first time, where she was born before being adopted and raised in France. The headstrong young woman starts looking for her biological parents in a country she knows so little about, taking her life in new and unexpected directions.
The film stars Park Ji-Min, Oh Kwang-Rok, Guka Han, Kim Sun-Young, Yoann Zimmer and Louis-Do De Lencquesaing.
Sony Pictures Classics recently picked up rights in North America, Latin America, the Middle East, Australia and New Zealand.
The film centers on 25-year-old Freddie, who on an impulse to reconnect with her origins, returns to South Korea for the first time, where she was born before being adopted and raised in France. The headstrong young woman starts looking for her biological parents in a country she knows so little about, taking her life in new and unexpected directions.
The film stars Park Ji-Min, Oh Kwang-Rok, Guka Han, Kim Sun-Young, Yoann Zimmer and Louis-Do De Lencquesaing.
- 5/22/2022
- by Leo Barraclough and Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
French-Cambodian filmmaker’s narrative debut feature Diamond Island played Critics’ Week in 2016.
In the first major deal on an Official Selection title by a US buyer announced in Cannes, Sony Pictures Classics has acquired North America and multiple territories from MK2 Films to Davy Chou’s Korea-set All The People I’ll Never Be ahead of its world premiere in Un Certain Regard on May 22.
The distributor also picked up Latin America, Middle East, Australia, and New Zealand and said the previously announced English-language title has been changed to Return To Seoul.
French-Cambodian filmmaker Chou’s France-Germany-Belgium co-production follows Freddie,...
In the first major deal on an Official Selection title by a US buyer announced in Cannes, Sony Pictures Classics has acquired North America and multiple territories from MK2 Films to Davy Chou’s Korea-set All The People I’ll Never Be ahead of its world premiere in Un Certain Regard on May 22.
The distributor also picked up Latin America, Middle East, Australia, and New Zealand and said the previously announced English-language title has been changed to Return To Seoul.
French-Cambodian filmmaker Chou’s France-Germany-Belgium co-production follows Freddie,...
- 5/16/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow¬Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
French-Cambodian filmmaker’s narrative debut feature Diamond Island played Critics’ Week in 2016.
In the first major deal by a US buyer to be announced in Cannes, Sony Pictures Classics has acquired North America, Latin America, Middle East, Australia, and New Zealand rights from MK2 Films to Davy Chou’s Korea-set All The People I’ll Never Be (Retour A Seoul) ahead of its world premiere in Un Certain Regard on May 22.
At the same it emerged that the previously announced English-language title All The People I’ll Never Be has been changed to Return To Seoul.
French-Cambodian filmmaker Chou’s France-Germany-Belgium co-production follows Freddie,...
In the first major deal by a US buyer to be announced in Cannes, Sony Pictures Classics has acquired North America, Latin America, Middle East, Australia, and New Zealand rights from MK2 Films to Davy Chou’s Korea-set All The People I’ll Never Be (Retour A Seoul) ahead of its world premiere in Un Certain Regard on May 22.
At the same it emerged that the previously announced English-language title All The People I’ll Never Be has been changed to Return To Seoul.
French-Cambodian filmmaker Chou’s France-Germany-Belgium co-production follows Freddie,...
- 5/16/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow¬Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
In one of the first major deals of the Cannes market, Sony Pictures Classics has swooped on Un Certain Regard title “All The People I’ll Never Be.” The distributor has picked up rights in North America, Latin America, the Middle East, Australia and New Zealand.
The film, which is written and directed by Davy Chou (“Diamond Island”), will be re-titled as “Return to Seoul.” It premieres in the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival on Sunday.
The pic centers on 25-year-old Freddie, who impulsively returns to South Korea for the first time, where she was born before being adopted and raised in France. The headstrong young woman starts looking for her biological parents in a country she knows so little about, taking her life in new and unexpected directions.
Produced by Charlotte Vincent under her Aurora Films banner and Katia Khazak, co-produced by Hanneke Van Der Tas,...
The film, which is written and directed by Davy Chou (“Diamond Island”), will be re-titled as “Return to Seoul.” It premieres in the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival on Sunday.
The pic centers on 25-year-old Freddie, who impulsively returns to South Korea for the first time, where she was born before being adopted and raised in France. The headstrong young woman starts looking for her biological parents in a country she knows so little about, taking her life in new and unexpected directions.
Produced by Charlotte Vincent under her Aurora Films banner and Katia Khazak, co-produced by Hanneke Van Der Tas,...
- 5/16/2022
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
Ahead of its world premiere in Un Certain Regard section of Cannes, the Davy Chou directed and written feature All the People I’ll Never Be has been picked up by Sony Pictures Classics.
The New York-based specialty label took all rights in North America, Latin America, Middle East, Australia, and New Zealand.
They’ll release the movie under the new title, Return to Seoul. Pic makes its world premiere on the Croisette this Sunday.
On an impulse, Freddie, 25, returns to South Korea for the first time, where she was born before being adopted and raised in France. The headstrong young woman starts looking for her biological parents in a country she knows so little about, taking her life in new and unexpected directions.
Produced by Charlotte Vincent under her Aurora Films banner and Katia Khazak, co-produced by Hanneke Van Der Tas, Cassandre Warnauts, and Jean-Yves Roubin, and associate produced by Ha Min-Ho and Chou,...
The New York-based specialty label took all rights in North America, Latin America, Middle East, Australia, and New Zealand.
They’ll release the movie under the new title, Return to Seoul. Pic makes its world premiere on the Croisette this Sunday.
On an impulse, Freddie, 25, returns to South Korea for the first time, where she was born before being adopted and raised in France. The headstrong young woman starts looking for her biological parents in a country she knows so little about, taking her life in new and unexpected directions.
Produced by Charlotte Vincent under her Aurora Films banner and Katia Khazak, co-produced by Hanneke Van Der Tas, Cassandre Warnauts, and Jean-Yves Roubin, and associate produced by Ha Min-Ho and Chou,...
- 5/16/2022
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Sony Pictures Classics has acquired the North American rights and other territories to “All The People I’ll Never Be,” a film from writer and director Davy Chou that is playing in the Un Certain Regard section on Sunday at the Cannes Film Festival.
SPC is also planning on re-titling the movie in English as “Return to Seoul,” which is the translation of its actual title in French. In addition to North America, the distributor also acquired rights to the film in Latin America, the Middle East, Australia and New Zealand.
“All The People I’ll Never Be” is the story of a 25-year-old woman who, on an impulse, returns to South Korea, where she was born before being adopted and raised in France, for the first time. The headstrong young woman starts looking for her biological parents in a country she knows so little about, taking her life in new and unexpected directions.
SPC is also planning on re-titling the movie in English as “Return to Seoul,” which is the translation of its actual title in French. In addition to North America, the distributor also acquired rights to the film in Latin America, the Middle East, Australia and New Zealand.
“All The People I’ll Never Be” is the story of a 25-year-old woman who, on an impulse, returns to South Korea, where she was born before being adopted and raised in France, for the first time. The headstrong young woman starts looking for her biological parents in a country she knows so little about, taking her life in new and unexpected directions.
- 5/16/2022
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.