Two Danish-Korean adoptees return for the first time to the country they were once born in. Confronted with the spirit of their motherland and the personal stories of fellow adoptees they meet in the city of Seoul, Karoline and Thomas are hurled into an emotionally disorienting journey that forces both of them to question and face their own destiny and identity. Operating in a hybrid field between fiction and documentary, the film is based partly on the director’s own experiences, partly on stories by other adoptees.
| Original title | The Return |
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| Danish title | The Return |
| Keywords | Denmark, Korea, Adoption, Adopted children, Parents, Identity, Emotions |
| Director | Malene Choi |
| Screenplay | Sissel Dalsgaard Thomsen |
| Producer | Julie Friis Walenciak, Julie Rix Bomholt, Katja Adomeit |
| Director of Photography | Catherine Pattinama Coleman |
| Editor | Julius Krebs Damsbo |
| Sound | Anne Gry Friis Kristensen, Kevin Koch |
| Composer | Philip Nicolai Flindt |
| Appearance | Thomas Hwan, Karoline Sofie Lee, Seong In Ja |
| Production country | Denmark |
| Domestic distribution | Danske Filminstitut |
| International sales | Pluto Film Distribution Network GmbH |
| Online release | 28.06.2018, Filmcentralen |
| Comment | Feature debut by Malene Choi Jensen. World premiere in competition at Rotterdam Film Festival and Nordic premiere at Göteborg Film Festival, both 2018. Choi Jensen’s short 'Creature' (2011) won a Danish Robert Award for Best Short Fiction and was honoured with a Special Mention at Nordisk Panorama. |
| Danish rating | Allowed for all |
Companies |
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| Executive Producer | Walenciak Film, Adomeit Film ApS, Cine Everywhere |
| With support from | Det Danske Filminstitut |
| Domestic distribution | Danske Filminstitut |
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Direction |
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| Direction | Malene Choi |
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Script |
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| Screenplay | Sissel Dalsgaard Thomsen |
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Production |
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| Producer | Julie Friis Walenciak |
| Producer | Julie Rix Bomholt |
| Producer | Katja Adomeit |
| Co-producer | Mark Siegmund |
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Cinematography |
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| Cinematographer | Catherine Pattinama Coleman |
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Editing |
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| Editor | Julius Krebs Damsbo |
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Music |
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| Composer | Philip Nicolai Flindt |
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Sound |
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| Sound designer | Anne Gry Friis Kristensen |
| Sound designer | Kevin Koch |
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Appearance |
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| Thomas | Thomas Hwan |
| Karoline | Karoline Sofie Lee |
| Thomas' mor | Seong In Ja |
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Reviews and articles
On the library you can find these articles and revies and other material about the film.
| Type | Source | Author | Date |
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| Interview | Politiken-Fonden | Fals, Katinka Bundgård | 2018-03-22 |
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