Cert 15
9th November 2023
Winner – Athens International Fim Festival 2022 Winner – Best Picture Asia Pacific Screen Awards 2022 Winner – Best Director Lost Angeles Film Critics Association Awards 2022 Winner – New Generation Award
Director: Davey Chou
Cast: Park Ji-Min, Oh Kwang-Rok
Country: France, South Korea, Cambodia. French Korean (English subtitles) 119 minutes
UK release date: May 2023
Freddie was adopted, born in South Korea, and raised in France. At 25 this magnetic spirited woman makes an impulsive decision to visit Seoul for the first time since her adoption, in an attempt to reconnect with her biological parents and the culture she had to leave behind. Featuring a superb performance by newcomer Park Ji-Min, this bittersweet journey of self-discovery sees Freddie travel from South Korea’s vibrant neon-soaked capital to its tranquil port cities in search of a better understanding of her own identity, culture, and home. The screenplay’s co-writer Laure Badufle is a Korean adoptee from France, whose personal story inspired the film.
“Return to Seoul is a really emotional and absorbing drama about adoption with terrific performances and a compelling soundtrack.” Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian
“It is that gap between self-protection and exposure, between theory and reality -that this spirited, stimulating film finds it’s resonance.” Hannah McGill British Film Institute
Film Club at the Roxy 