“Freddie is different from the usual nice, soft female character that you see in Asian cinema a lot, mostly from male Asian directors”: Davy Chou on Return to Seoul

Return to Seoul is the bold and unique film from French-Cambodian director Davy Chou (Diamond Island) that ruminates on identity and belonging through an extraordinary central performance from Park Ji-Min as idiosyncratic 25-year-old Freddie, who travels on a whim to South Korea from Paris (where she grew up with adoptive parents) to discover her true biological roots. With an edgy, irreverent tone that mirrors its protagonist’s brittle nature, the feature is a fascinating deep dive into an intensely personal story that nonetheless reveals universal questions about what makes us who we are.

The Upcoming had the chance to speak with Chou during the Cannes Film Festival 2022, where he shared the inspiration behind the story, casting and working with the enigmatic Ji-Min, and what he thinks audiences can take away from his film.

Sarah Bradbury

Return to Seoul is released in UK cinemas on 5^th May 2023 and on MUBI from 7^th July 2023.

Watch the trailer for Return to Seoul here: