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Directed by Benson Lee, Seoul Searching is a 1986 set comedy about a group of Korean youths from all over the world who spend a summer in Seoul to connect with their culture. Justin Chon (Man Up, Twilight) is Sid Park, a spiky haired rebellious youth who’s a fan of punk rock but not exactly a big fan of his own dad.
Since Sid has his own issues with his father and also gets into several confrontations with his teacher, Chon also gets to show off his dramatic chops. Though it’s accurately billed as a winning teen comedy that’s a throwback to John Hughes movie, Seoul Searching also has a surprising level of narrative depth (one subplot deals with an adopted teen attempting to find her Korean mother).
During my conversation with Chon, I asked him if he knew Seoul Searching would turn out to be a great project:
“You read the script and you have a hope of what it would turn out like. I would say that . . . I mean you film the thing and you’re there so you have an idea of how it could cut together. It wasn’t like a totally out of left field surprise but I was definitely satisfied with the way it turned out and (director) Benson Lee did an amazing job.
The biggest thing for me, watching the cut, I felt very nostalgic of the 80s. It took me back to my childhood and made me feel like that dreamlike place you get when you think about nostalgic things. To me, that was very fulfilling to see on screen.” – Justin Chon
Click on the media bar to hear Justin Chon discuss the universal nature of Seoul Searching:
We’re extended at the Laemmele LA till July 7th! Purchase tix: https://t.co/cdDRD3eM19 discountcode: searchingseoul pic.twitter.com/GunC3pIXk5
— Seoul Searching (@SeoulSearching_) June 29, 2016
Along with Seoul Searching, there are several more films that are worth catching this weekend including Life, Animated and Our Kind of Traitor. Check out this week’s episode of CinemAddicts below: