Best movies like Return to Seoul
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
On an impulse to reconnect with her origins, Freddie, 25, returns to South Korea for the first time, where she was born, before being adopted and raised in France. The headstrong young woman starts looking for her biological parents in a country she knows so little about, taking her life in new and unexpected directions.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Drama
Country: France, Germany, Belgium, South Korea, Romania, Cambodia, Qatar
Duration: 119 min
Plot tags: interesting
Best tv shows and movies like Return to Seoul (2022):
Similar in 83%
Born to Be Human (2021)
Plot Summary:
Yang Shi-Nan is a 14-year-old boy who undergoes a metamorphosis without realising what is going on. It begins on a normal school day when he gets stomach cramps. After rushing to the toilet he notices that his urine is turning bloody red. Taken to a doctor he is diagnosed with “Disorders of Sex Development,” or intersex. Without consulting him, Shi-Nan’s parents decide to accept “sex reassignment surgery”, turning Shi-Nan into a female and changing her name to YANG Shi-Lan. The family moves to a new city to start a new life and it all seems to be going well as Shi-Lan blends in and even makes friends. It seems like the butterfly is about to break out of its chrysalis but can Yang Shi-Lan truly embrace her transformation?.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 76
Genere: Drama
Country: Taiwan
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 89%
The Three Madeleines (2000)
Plot Summary:
Three women who share a familial bond but little more come to know each other better in this beautifully-photographed drama. Marie-Madeleine (Sylvie Drapeau) is a photographer in her mid-30s who, for the first time, has come into contact with Mado (France Arbour), her biological mother, who put her up for adoption shortly after she was born. Marie-Madeleine is to take a long road trip for a magazine assignment, and she invites Mado along. Joining the two women is Marie-Madeleine's daughter (Isadora Galwey), who has yet to meet her German father. The three women share their thoughts and ideas as they travel through an idyllic setting to photograph birds. Les Fantomes des Trois Madeleine was shown at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival as part of the Directors Fortnight series.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 78
Genere: Drama
Country: Canada
Duration: 81 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 75%
The Braves (2021)
Plot Summary:
Best friends Alma and Margot are inseparable, whether it’s terrorizing cheating lovers or crashing wedding parties. The two women also share the same dream of a successful career on the stage. They get one step closer when they are cast as lead and understudy in a high-profile play in Paris. Alma is keeping a secret that puts her role in jeopardy, but with the unwavering support of Margot, they will try their best to ensure that the show goes on.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 444
Genere: Drama
Country: France
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 83%
Rosario (1971)
Plot Summary:
Rosario and Carlos, husbands, are part of a theater company. In a scene of jealousy, she should shoot and kill him. Carlos has had an affair with Zulma, another acriz of the company. On opening day, in the final scene, Rosario accidentally kills her husband. Someone change the gun.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 20
Genere: Drama
Country: Mexico
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 86%
Blessings (2003)
Plot Summary:
Released from jail after a term basically served instead of friends he refused to rat out, Charles 'Skip' Cuddy is grateful his gentleman instinct gets him a job with living quarters as handyman on a semi-destitute estate Blessings. Working hard, he wins further confidence from the owner, bitter widow Lydia Blessing, unlike her in-living bitch nurse Jennifer. When a baby is left at the state, Skip takes it in and secretly cares for it. Lydia eventually finds out but sides with him, feeling robbed of grandchildren by her careerist only daughter Meredith. Then Skip's past comes knocking, and the baby's birth parents.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 137
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 85%
The Roads Not Taken (2020)
Plot Summary:
The film follows 24 hours in the life of father and daughter Leo and Molly as she grapples with the challenges of dealing with her father’s chaotic mental state. But as they weave their way around New York City, their ordinary but stressful day takes on a hallucinatory and epic quality, for Leo is seamlessly flowing in and out of several parallel lives; a passionate marriage with his childhood sweetheart Dolores in Mexico; a struggling career as a drummer in Manhattan with his more successful lover, Adam; and a life of solitude on a remote Greek island, where a chance encounter with two young tourists unmasks the uncomfortable truths of a family life left behind.
IMDB Rating: 5.2
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama
Country: UK, Sweden, Poland, Spain, USA
Duration: 85 min
Plot tags: realistic, intense, visually appealing, clever
Similar in 78%
The Sleepy Time Gal (2001)
Plot Summary:
A young woman learns of her adoption and eventually quits her law firm job and goes on a journey to find her birth mother.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 421
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: independent film
Similar in 80%
Close Your Eyes (2023)
Plot Summary:
Years after his mysterious disappearance, Julio Arenas, a famous Spanish actor, is back in the news thanks to a television program.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 763
Genere: Drama
Country: Spain, Argentina
Duration: 169 min
Plot tags: metafiction
Similar in 76%
Noise (2022)
Plot Summary:
Julia is a mother, or rather, one of many mothers, sisters, daughters, colleagues, who have had their lives torn apart by the widespread violence in a country waging a war against its women. Julia is searching for Ger, her daughter. And in her search, she will weave through the stories and struggles of the different women she will meet.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama
Country: Argentina, Mexico
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 87%
Our Wonderful Lives (2018)
Plot Summary:
Margot, Jeremy, Salome, Caesar, Sonia - They are between 18 and 50 years old. Everything separates them except the urgency to rebuild and restore the relationship to the other that the addiction has destroyed. Solidary, they have as rules, sharing, honesty, authenticity, sincerity, humanity. An incredible band of living people who are screaming loudly that we are doing better than others alone.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 120
Genere: Drama
Country: France
Duration: 117 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 87%
Sons and Daughters (2001)
Plot Summary:
We are in Argentina in 1977, a woman gives birth to twins. With the complicity of the midwife he manages to hide the child, second child. The first, a boy, is taken into custody by the regime's guards. The scene moves to the Milan of today. The young Rosa contacts Javier and tries to convince him that they are twin brothers, separated at birth. Thus, the two begin a journey to rediscover their origins and their past. A bitter reality is ready to overwhelm them.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 268
Genere: Drama
Country: Italy, Argentina
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 76%
Conquest (1998)
Plot Summary:
British-Canadian light romantic comedy film set in a dying Saskatchewan town. Bank branch manager, Pincer Bedier, dreams of reviving the town when one day a beautiful young woman's car breaks down and she becomes stranded until it can be repaired. She is convinced by the banker to take on the duties at the local hardware store to pay for the parts for her car and soon a romance between the two develops.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 176
Genere: Drama
Country: UK, Canada
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: independent film
Similar in 81%
Stolen Season (2020)
Plot Summary:
A therapist spirals into obsession as evidence points that a troubled teen could be her own child surrendered 17 years ago.
IMDB Rating: 5.0
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: Canada
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: disturbing, psychological, suspense, suspenseful, contemplative
Similar in 87%
Invisible Light (2003)
Plot Summary:
The film is counterbalanced between two interrelated parts. The first part takes place in Los Angeles, and is centered around a Korean female student, Gah-in, who is studying in the US. She is having a sexual affair with a married man named, Jun. The second part is about Jun's wife, Do-hee, which takes place in Seoul, Korea.
IMDB Rating: 5.1
IMDB Votes: 60
Genere: Drama
Country: USA, South Korea
Duration: 78 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 81%
The Eight Mountains (2022)
Plot Summary:
An epic journey of friendship and self-discovery set in the breathtaking Italian Alps, The Eight Mountains follows over four decades the profound, complex relationship between Pietro and Bruno.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 12000
Genere: Drama
Country: Italy, Belgium, France, UK
Duration: 147 min
Plot tags: interesting
Similar in 90%
Driving with My Wife's Lover (2006)
Plot Summary:
After realizing that his wife has been cheating on him, mild-mannered stamp maker Tae-han leaves his small seaside town of Naksan determined to track down his wife's lover, a taxicab driver from Seoul named Joong-sik. During one of the most intense heat waves on record, he travels to the city, where he successfully finds his target and hires him for a long-distance cab ride back to Naksan. As they drive down the highway, Tae-han refrains from revealing his secret to his new rival, and an unlikely bond develops between the two men. When they are faced with a series of unexpected detours along the way, Tae-han finds ample time to reassess his devious plans as the similarities and differences between the two men begin to surface.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 285
Genere: Drama
Country: South Korea
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: road movie, captivating, erotic, entertaining
Similar in 80%
Lodge Money (2020)
Plot Summary:
New couple Na-ni and Joon-seo left the stuffy Seoul to try and start a cafe in the countryside. Behind the couple's attempt to change, they had some unspeakable worries, so they were sexless people who used their own rooms because they were not sexually compatible. Regardless of her husband's efforts to establish a relationship, her wife Na-ni has long been on an extramarital affair with her sex partner Dal-ho, who has been embroiled in a hit-and-run accident that she never thought of enjoying sex outdoors and is asked for a large settlement.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 13
Genere: Drama
Country: South Korea
Duration: 70 min
Plot tags: dramatic, emotional, intense, gloomy
Similar in 89%
Lose My Self (2014)
Plot Summary:
The film tells the story of longtime married couple Lena and Tore, who need to deal with Lena's sudden lost of biographical memory due to amnesia.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 292
Genere: Drama
Country: Germany
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: erotic
Similar in 88%
The Secret of the Ant-Child (2011)
Plot Summary:
Traveling in North Benin, Cécile crosses the path of a young African mother deposited him, distraught, a baby in arms ... Cecile will adopt this child will grow African and Lancelot in France. The year of its seven years, she left with him to the country of its origin and attempts to pierce the secrecy surrounding its abandonment.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 105
Genere: Drama
Country: France
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: touching, serious, emotional, realistic
Similar in 85%
Cafe Seoul (2009)
Plot Summary:
Jun, a Japanese freelance reporter, discovers hidden gem of Korean traditional bakery "Moran-dang" by chance in the middle of the city of Seoul, while covering stories of the city. Moran-dang takes him back to his memory of childhood and urges him to stay there for more stories. One day, Moran-dang is vandalized by construction villains in town who maliciously try to take the spot of the bakery and the owner and chef, Sang-Woo gets hands injured. When Moran-dang is in danger of closing, little brother Sang-Hyuk returns home after drifting apart. As Jun inspires Sang-Hyuk to restore his family tie and the secret recipes, Sang-Hyuk and Jun are connected in friendship to save Moran-dang.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 58
Genere: Drama
Country: Japan, South Korea
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: realistic, touching, captivating, psychological, sentimental, uplifting, serious
Similar in 75%
Ramen Shop (2018)
Plot Summary:
Masato is a young ramen chef in the city of Takasaki in Japan. After the sudden death of his emotionally distant father, he chances upon a suitcase of memorabilia and a red notebook – filled with musings and old photos – left behind by his Singaporean mother who died when he was just ten years old. Acting on a hunch, he takes off for Singapore with the notebook, hoping to piece together the story of his life, as well as that of his parents.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: Singapore, Japan, France
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: realistic, captivating, emotional, contemplative
Similar in 81%
Amu (2005)
Plot Summary:
Amu is the story of Kaju, a twenty-one-year-old Indian American woman who returns to India to visit her family and discover the place where she was born. The film takes a dark turn as Kaju stumbles against secrets and lies from her past. A horrifying genocide that took place twenty years ago turns out to hold the key to her mysterious origins.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 954
Genere: Drama
Country: India, USA
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: disturbing, serious, realistic, touching, banned
Similar in 77%
The Desert Bride (2017)
Plot Summary:
Teresa’s life is turned upside down when she is forced to accept a job far away. On her way, she loses her bag, causing her to cross paths with El Gringo, a traveling salesman.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 707
Genere: Drama
Country: Argentina, Chile
Duration: 78 min
Plot tags: psychological, captivating, suspense, disturbing, road movie
Similar in 82%
My Friend Victoria (2014)
Plot Summary:
Aged eight, Victoria spends a night in the home of a wealthy white family; years later, she encounters them again and her life is changed forever.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 347
Genere: Drama
Country: France, Belgium
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: touching, serious, emotional, realistic
Similar in 87%
Breath (2007)
Plot Summary:
A love story involving a convicted prisoner who "slowly falls for a woman who decorates his prison cell".
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Drama
Country: South Korea
Duration: 84 min
Plot tags: contemplative, atmospheric, realistic, psychological, captivating, art house, mesmerizing, serious, stylized
Similar in 75%
My Brother, My Sister (2021)
Plot Summary:
When their father's will forces them to live together, siblings Nik and Tesla — and Tesla's kids — try to overcome their differences to become a family.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama
Country: Italy
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: psychological, sincere, captivating, disturbing, emotional
Similar in 80%
In Safe Hands (2018)
Plot Summary:
Théo is given up for adoption by his biological mother on the very day he is born. After this anonymous birth, the mother has two months to change her mind… Or not. The child welfare services and adoption service spring into action… The former have to take care of the baby and support it during this limbo-like time, this period of uncertainty, while the latter must find a woman to become his adoptive mother. She is called Alice, and she has spent the last ten years fighting to have a child.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: France, Belgium
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: realistic, psychological, captivating, emotional, touching, feel good
Similar in 86%
Crocodile (1996)
Plot Summary:
Crocodile is a 1996 South Korean film. It was the directorial debut of Ki-duk Kim and stars Cho Jae-hyun as "Crocodile".The film tells the story of a man living at the edge of the Han River in Seoul, who saves a woman trying to commit suicide. He then proceeds to rape and abuse her until an odd relationship develops between them.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: South Korea
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: depressing, rough, bleak, serious, realistic, disturbing, avant garde
Similar in 81%
A Brand New Life (2009)
Plot Summary:
Young Jinhee is taken by her father to an orphanage near Seoul. He leaves her there never to return, and she struggles to come to grips with her fate. Jinhee desperately believes her father will come back for her and take her on a trip. The film is based on the experiences of the director, an ethnic Korean who was adopted by a French couple in the 1970s.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: France, South Korea
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: sincere, touching, serious, realistic, captivating, emotional, inspirational, sad, poignant
Similar in 84%
Paris, Texas (1984)
Plot Summary:
A man wanders out of the desert not knowing who he is. His brother finds him, and helps to pull his memory back of the life he led before he walked out on his family and disappeared four years earlier.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 115000
Genere: Drama
Country: West Germany, France, UK, USA
Duration: 145 min
Plot tags: road movie, surreal, touching, atmospheric, emotional, bleak, lyrical, visual, philosophical, art house