Between Goodbyes

Directed By Jota Mun

This poignant documentary is about Mieke, a queer Korean adoptee who was raised in the Netherlands; her birth mother, Okgyun, lives in South Korea. Okgyun was forced to give up her daughter in 1982, in a context of concerns around overpopulation, economic hardship, and social pressure on women to have sons. Entering their lives six years after mother and daughter were reunited, the film addresses the historical legacy of mass overseas adoption.

The documentary follows Mieke as she returns to Seoul with her wife, to celebrate their marriage with Okgyun and her family; there, the two women seek to reconcile with their painful pasts. Tenderly directed by Jota Mun – a Korean adoptee themself – this emotionally authentic film questions our understanding of what a family is.