Return to Seoul is one of the most satisfying character studies of the new century - satisfying in that way of a filmmaker who shows us a character who we should understand right away like as soon as she makes the scene she does in the restaurant with her friends as she brings together other people in the place together to her table. She seems like an extrovert, totally outgoing and able to connect with anyone. But we soon learn she also has no firm connections of her own, despite having - as an adopted orphan - French family and, presumably, a life in Paris.
The film that actually occured to me watching this did not have necessarily a lot in common as far as events, but Five Easy Pieces popped in my head more than once - in particular the Nicholson character, and in terms of screen charisma, Park Ji-Min could go for a round or two with Mr Eyebrows. She's not able to stay in one spot for too long necessarily, and certainly the escape of a substance or two (or casual sex with a stranger) will help, but it's also because it is hard for her to form intimacy. Or, even when she does have a significant other, it's easy for her to talk of cutting him off "so easily." The quick and intense and goodbye kind of relationships are her way. So when her dad starts messaging her....
Is it trust? Is it a fear of abandonment? There's no easy answer to anything about why Freddy does what she does, and that includes not staying with her birth father once they make contact as she's an adult (Oh Kwang-rok is excellent too and it's a crucial role that could have been overplayed, and luckily Chou always finds the truth to mine with his actors). But unlike a Bobby Dupea in Easy Pieces, Chou suggests throughout that all may not be lost for Freddy - if she can see what little moments of kindness or generosity of spirit are there (say, in a tune on piano, ironically given the comparison).
It's mind blowing to see Park Ji-Min and how much control she has over a character who seems to let it go. Or, that isnt entriely true, she shows as years go on she can contol her power at least as a sexual creature (look how she talks to the Frenchman she may or may not sleep with); but so much is in the eyes, a little look or how she keeps the focus on someone and shows what a person can be like who has created a shield over a well of sadness. Ji-Min was discovered for this role and took on this amazing gift of a role and script in her first theatrical performance - fearless is a word for it, and imbued Freddy with the energy of a restless, lost and empathetic soul. It's a film where the nature of the character brilliantly drives the story, jumping over several years (and she doesn't skip a beat), and she gives the kind of performance worthy of any actor who has had years or even decades of experience.
I may or may not write more as I sit with this, but suffice it to say I'm so glad I finally got my butt to a theater to see this (and this is the kind of film that benefits from being in the dark and seeing Ji-Min and the other actors in an immersive setting). Look out for everything Davy Chou has in store in the next decade or two, he's a sublimely talented and carefully observant filmmaker, always sure where to put the camera for simplicity and to create an intense emotional connection with the camera (ie when Freddy dances by herself to the song), and for a gut punch of dramatic effect (minor spoiler, especially in *that* moment neat the end when Freddy finally meets her mother).
The film that actually occured to me watching this did not have necessarily a lot in common as far as events, but Five Easy Pieces popped in my head more than once - in particular the Nicholson character, and in terms of screen charisma, Park Ji-Min could go for a round or two with Mr Eyebrows. She's not able to stay in one spot for too long necessarily, and certainly the escape of a substance or two (or casual sex with a stranger) will help, but it's also because it is hard for her to form intimacy. Or, even when she does have a significant other, it's easy for her to talk of cutting him off "so easily." The quick and intense and goodbye kind of relationships are her way. So when her dad starts messaging her....
Is it trust? Is it a fear of abandonment? There's no easy answer to anything about why Freddy does what she does, and that includes not staying with her birth father once they make contact as she's an adult (Oh Kwang-rok is excellent too and it's a crucial role that could have been overplayed, and luckily Chou always finds the truth to mine with his actors). But unlike a Bobby Dupea in Easy Pieces, Chou suggests throughout that all may not be lost for Freddy - if she can see what little moments of kindness or generosity of spirit are there (say, in a tune on piano, ironically given the comparison).
It's mind blowing to see Park Ji-Min and how much control she has over a character who seems to let it go. Or, that isnt entriely true, she shows as years go on she can contol her power at least as a sexual creature (look how she talks to the Frenchman she may or may not sleep with); but so much is in the eyes, a little look or how she keeps the focus on someone and shows what a person can be like who has created a shield over a well of sadness. Ji-Min was discovered for this role and took on this amazing gift of a role and script in her first theatrical performance - fearless is a word for it, and imbued Freddy with the energy of a restless, lost and empathetic soul. It's a film where the nature of the character brilliantly drives the story, jumping over several years (and she doesn't skip a beat), and she gives the kind of performance worthy of any actor who has had years or even decades of experience.
I may or may not write more as I sit with this, but suffice it to say I'm so glad I finally got my butt to a theater to see this (and this is the kind of film that benefits from being in the dark and seeing Ji-Min and the other actors in an immersive setting). Look out for everything Davy Chou has in store in the next decade or two, he's a sublimely talented and carefully observant filmmaker, always sure where to put the camera for simplicity and to create an intense emotional connection with the camera (ie when Freddy dances by herself to the song), and for a gut punch of dramatic effect (minor spoiler, especially in *that* moment neat the end when Freddy finally meets her mother).