Seoul Searching is inspired by the now-abolished summer camp in Seoul designed to acquaint scattered Korean youths with their culture (a program Benson Lee, the Korean-American writer and director, had once taken part in).  Set in 1986, and in true 80’s fashion, stereotypes abound, from rebellious daughters to violent fathers.

The movie is a bit of a mess, but not a completely unenjoyable one.  Even though tonal shifts could have been handled with more finesse, the film still has heart, seen most clearly in its more sensitive characters.

Klaus Kim (Teo Yoo) and Kris Schultz (Rosalina Leigh) both grapple with Korean dysphoria in different ways—the apprehensive Klaus (in case you couldn’t tell, he’s from Germany) doesn’t speak Korean to his parents because he wants them to “improve their German”, and shy, red-white-and-blue Kris longs to reconnect with her birth mother.  The two of them, perhaps, best capture the themes that Lee strives towards, but not always achieves.

Much like its characters, Seoul Searching is still looking for its identity.  Still, there is joy to be found in the struggle.  And in the rare instance when it finds its footing, the film is at its best.

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Anna is a Creative Writing student from Singapore Polytechnic. In her free time, she enjoys emceeing, baking and playing with her dog.