Seoul Searching

Released Jun 17, 2016

1 hr. 45 min.

Comedy

Drama

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List

76%

17 Reviews

Tomatometer

82%

100+ Ratings

Audience Score

In 1986, teens attending a government camp for foreign born teenagers have wild experiences.

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Roy V

Such a brilliant low budget production and benign script! It should be a mandated watch in every Public School in the United States.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/09/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This is not a movie about gorgeous K-pop stars, it's a movie of real feelings and decision-making based on those same emotions. It's a movie where a culture was bombarded with other cultures in a time where everything was changing and reinventing itself. Even though I couldn't personally relate, I could relate. I don't think justice was made to this movie, it truely captured one generation with many different backgrounds. I adored the movie, I revisit often, and advise others to give it a chance dispite the bad critics somehow recieved. Thank you

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/12/23

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ashley s

Good storyline that was acted effortlessly convincing.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

As an Asian American who has been deemed a great disgrace for being "not stringed to their own culture", it really hit home. This movie not only taught me numerous lessons in life as an Asian American such as appreciating my culture, but also to appreciate my parents for always attempting to keep me intact with my roots.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/23/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Amazing! I've seen in at least 7 times. Highly recommend.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/15/23

Full Review

glen a

"Soeul Searching" is a movie about the children of Korean expatriates who attend a summer camp in Korea to learn about their heritage, but really, it is just mimicking '80s John Hughes coming of age movies, and it is actually pretty good. I enjoyed the second half a lot more than the first half, though. The movie begins by demonstrating how badly a bunch of adolescents can act without adult supervision, but the second half is all about how those characters figure out how to navigate life. I'd guess that 75% of the movie is in English, so you don't have to worry about reading subtitles the entire time. It is rated TV-MA, and it does tackle some pretty adult material, but the rating is mostly for the foul language, so it would be ok for a mature teenager to see. I give it a C, if you've already seen the best, but you insist on watching a movie, try this one out.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Benson Lee

Director

Justin Chon

Sid Park

Jessika Van

Grace Park

Cha In-pyo

Mr. Kim

Yoo Teo

Klaus Kim

Esteban Ahn

Sergio Kim

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Seoul Searching: Trailer 1

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Stephanie Merry

Washington Post

The adolescents at the camp in "Seoul Searching," which takes place during the summer of 1983, fall a little too easily into stereotypes.

Rated: 2/4

Jul 7, 2016

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Katie Walsh

Los Angeles Times

Despite the overwrought stylization, the heart of "Seoul Searching" does ultimately emerge.

Rated: 2/4

Jun 24, 2016

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Nick Allen

RogerEbert.com

"Seoul Searching" is unforgettable in how it boldly presents adolescence, specifically here from a minority's perspective, not just as a life passage, but a type of performance.

Rated: 3/4

Jun 17, 2016

Full Review

Jae-Ha Kim

Jae-Ha Kim

“Seoul Searching” is a teenage dramedy filled with angst, a killer 1980s soundtrack and some solid acting by a cast of Asian Americans (and Korean veteran actors). But it’s also filled with cliches, some of which work better than others.

Rated: 2.5/4

Jul 28, 2023

Full Review

Mae Abdulbaki

Punch Drunk Critics

The idea to explore these multi-cultural teens is something not many people can easily take on, but the execution and script need a bit of polishing.

Rated: 2.5/5

Aug 14, 2018

Full Review

Lauren Bullock

Black Nerd Problems

I also can't deny the void that this movie fills in a country that continues to insist that people of color can only be sidekicks or tokens even when its our stories being told.

Jun 13, 2018

Full Review

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Synopsis

In 1986, teens attending a government camp for foreign born teenagers have wild experiences.

Director: Benson Lee
Executive Producer: Henry Shaw, Xiaopeng Wang
Screenwriter: Benson Lee
Distributor: Wonder Vision
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 17, 2016, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 16, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $9.0K