Seoul Searching totally lives up to its John Hughes ambitions. Writer/director Benson Lee openly cited Hughes and his desire to make a John Hughes movie, and I think he may know John Hughes better than John Hughes knew himself.
In 1986, a group of Korean teens from around the world are sent to a summer camp in Seoul to get in touch with their cultural roots. This was real. After the Korean War and the nation’s divide, many parents who’d fled the country later sent their teens to these camps. What we get is an ensemble ‘80s comedy with heart and weight, specific enough to be universal for anyone.
The characters are introduced as “types” the way Hughes used “the jock,” “the slut,” etc. to reveal the characters’ true depth. There’s Sid (Justin Chon) the rebellious punk, Grace (Jessika Van) with the bravado of Madonna, Klaus (Teo Yoo) the reserved German Korean, Kris (Rosalina Leigh) the American-Korean adopted by the Schultz family, Sergio (Esteban Ahn) the Mexican-Korean horndog, Sara (Sue Hon) the rich girl in pink, feminist karate expert Sue-Jin (Kang Byul), military brat Mike Lee (Albert Kong) and a trio of rappers led by Chow (Heejun Han).
The film features honest and articulate teen dialogue and behavior. Yes, they are hormonal and rebellious, but they are sensitive and confused too. They revere the ability to drink, but quickly learn there are more productive ways to connect with each other. There’s plenty of high concept set piece comedy, including schtick at the demilitarized zone and plenty of girl-chasing games, but like the Hughes movies, the comedy serves something more.
Each character is fully developed and has a complete arc. It is a true ensemble of eight or nine equal characters, if you’re counting the strict teacher Mr. Kim (Cha In-Pyo), and some healthy supporting roles too. For example, Kris seeks out her birth mother, and Sid reveals some sensitive parental issues. You don’t have to be adopted or Korean or from a strict family to relate, but making it that specific makes it real, and what’s real is the universal struggle for identity and acceptance. What’s especially profound about the drama in Seoul Searching is that it’s not so much resolved. Lee, like Hughes, is smart enough to recognize that people rarely change, but they can come to an understanding.
Like the John Hughes movies, it’s not always pretty. Some of the teens’ behavior is dangerous, although Seoul Searching thankfully is more cognizant of date rape. Some characters have outdated attitudes, as we now recognize in a lot of our favorite ‘80s movies. But the genius of Seoul Searching is that it can incorporate everything from the era, warts and all, and come out celebrating what was great and how far we’ve come since.
Lee shouldn’t sell himself short though. Seoul Searching is a complete original. In utilizing an obscure era of cultural history for the story, Lee was able to create a universal tapestry of stories. I will definitely do my homework on Benson Lee after seeing Seoul Searching. He’s only directed three other movies, but even if Battle of the Year was just a studio job, there’s got to be something to it. The way Lee uses the camera to introduce his characters is perfect, and that craft extends to the more subtle and poignant moments. The cast has so much heart and depth, I can’t wait to see what they do next. This is the sort of movie we come to Sundance to discover.
Fred Topel is a staff writer at CraveOnline. Follow him on Twitter at @FredTopel.
