"You are a sad person."
"I could erase you from my life with a snap of my fingers."
— Freddie
Return to Seoul (formerly titled All I'll Never Be) is a 2022 drama film coproduced by France, Germany, Belgium, Qatar, and Cambodia. It is directed by Davy Chou and written by Chou and Laure Badufle. The film is loosely based on both of their experiences; Badufle being a French adoptee of South Korean descent, and Chou being a Cambodian immigrant to France.
The film stars newcomer Ji-Min Park as Freddie Benoit, a free-spirited young Frenchwoman who was adopted from South Korea as an infant. After ending up in Seoul she tries tracking down her biological parents.
Following a debut at the Un Certain Regard section of Cannes 2022, it was released in Cambodian theaters on 18 November. An international theatrical run began in 2023.
Tropes:
- Gift of Song: Near the end of the film, Freddie's father writes a piano composition for her. She initially rejects it, but plays it at the end and finds it to be beautiful.
- Interracial Adoption Struggles: Freddie was born in South Korea before being adopted by a white French family. While her adoptive family is fine, it's clear that this situation has caused some existentialism in Freddie, who seeks her biological family and is a Fish out of Water in South Korea.
- Likes Older Men: Freddie declares that she likes her men older.
- "Rediscovering Roots" Trip: Supposedly, Korean-French Freddie didn't mean to end up in Seoul, but she uses the opportunity to find her biological family and reconnect with Korean culture.
- Time Skip: After Freddie's confrontation with her father the film jumps ahead a couple years, then five more, then finally one more year.
- Unnamed Parent: Neither of Freddie's bio parents are named in the movie.
- Unpleasant Parent Reveal: Freddie is not pleased to find out that her reappearance in her biological father's life has caused him to be a soused, needy wreck.
