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An adopted girl, now a young woman, heads back to her home country to search for her biological parents in...
An adopted girl, now a young woman, heads back to her home country to search for her biological parents in this South Korean drama, nominated for the Un Certain Regard Award at Cannes 2022.
On an impulse to reconnect with her origins, 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.
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Where to watch Return to Seoul
A thorny, stirring, emotionally volatile journey wrestling with notions of identity and home, and the deep-seated, binding strengths of familial bonds. Park Ji-min's layered, eminently charged performance underpins her character’s impulsive, chaotic spirit with simmering anguish.
97 %131 reviewsRotten Tomatoes® rating
92 %693 reviewsAudience score rating
"This is gripping storytelling, and a great performance from Park Ji-min."
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The Guardian
The Guardian"Discomfiting yet enthralling..."
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The Straits Times
The Straits Times"Electrifying..."
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The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail"A phenomenal debut performance (from Park)."
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Independent
Independent"A patience-testing trip."
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Boston Globe
Boston Globe"A gorgeous study that holds deep truths."
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The Times
The Times"Stirring, constantly surprising stuff..."
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Empire Magazine
Empire Magazine"A bittersweet collage of a young life in flux."
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Vanity Fair
Vanity Fair"Knotty, electric, powerful, soul-searching."
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Little White Lies
Little White Lies"Minor plot stumbles aside, Park Ji-min’s electric lead energises a nimble investigation into identity."
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Total Film
Total Film"Park holds your rapt attention."
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Austin Chronicle
Austin Chronicle"A funny, melancholy film that will surprise you start to finish."
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NPR
NPR"Unfolds as one of the rare movies that feels thoughtful and observant every minute, without tidy summations of feeling."
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Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune"Heady, searing, strident, and poignant..."
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Chicago Reader
Chicago Reader"A smart if maddening character study."
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The Irish Times
The Irish TimesReturn to Seoul | Details
- Rating
- M, Mature themes, coarse language and brief nudity
- Runtime
- 119
- Genre
- Drama
- Country of origin
- Belgium, France, Germany, Romania, South Korea
