Review / The Terminal meets Lost in Translation in #Iamhere, featuring K-drama’s Bae Doona opposite Alain Chabat in the French film finally hitting Korean cinemas this month
After starring in hit Netflix K-dramas like The Silent Sea and Kingdom, as well as Hollywood films such as Cloud Atlas, the beloved Korean actress added her first French film to her list of credits in 2020 – but should she have played a bigger role?
#Iamhere is an endearing adventure film that offers pure escapism. Mostly set in Seoul, the film is an ode to the city, which is seen through the eyes of a first-time French visitor. After being released internationally last summer, the film finally hits Korean theatres on January 14.
The film begins with divorced French chef Stéphane (played by Alain Chabat) preparing a wedding feast for his son Ludo (Jules Sagot). On the wedding day, however, he spots his son kissing a young man in the kitchen and is shocked when he discovers that everyone else, including Ludo’s wife, was aware that Ludo is gay.
Feeling estranged from his family, Stéphane becomes obsessed with Instagram and befriends a Korean woman named Soo (Bae Doona), who speaks fluent French and lives in Seoul. After developing romantic feelings for Soo, he impulsively heads off to Seoul to meet her because she told him “it would be nice to watch cherry blossoms together”.
Soo agrees to pick him up at the airport, but suddenly breaks off contact with him. Stéphane gets stranded at Incheon Airport as he waits for Soo. His adventure begins here: he buys drinks for some middle-aged Korean men at the airport bar, has lunch with French sportsmen playing an away game and cooks at a restaurant for airport cleaning staff. Staying in the airport for 11 days, Stéphane becomes a social media celebrity who goes by the nickname “French lover”,
The character portrayal is a striking aspect of the film but, disappointingly, Bae only has a brief appearance – to talk to Stéphane and cause him to ruminate on how reckless it was to come all the way from France just to meet her in real life. Bae’s French is impressive and her character has many layers. However, a 20-minute appearance is too short a time for her to show off all her charms.
Besides, the film’s premise has some weaknesses. Stéphane comments that Koreans are so busy that they don’t even glance at him when they pass him by, and yet he somehow becomes a celebrity in just 11 days, with locals dying to take photos with him and get him on the live news. Until he becomes a popular figure, the police have no idea that there’s a suspicious man wandering the airport.