South Korea | Germany 2026
Opening August 27, 2026

Directed by: Susanne Kim 
Writing credits: Documentary
Principal actors: Documentary

Becoming Kim is a creative and well-filmed personal account of living in a family in two different cultures. The film starts at a juncture where the family is unsure of the future and seems to be stuck in two different worlds, with the husband/father Jeong Rae Kim living and working in Korea and the wife/mother Susanne Kim and daughter living in Germany. The actor-director Susanne Kim decides to focus on this dilemma and make it the topic of her next film. Her filming style is calm, creative, and insightful. She pushes to get deeper than surface level by asking questions and looking at moments that are ordinary but meaningful. Pieces of her emotions and internal thoughts are creatively played out in costume and color, inserting into the documentary moments of light comedy and wonder.

The storyline jumps between Germany and Korea and the family visiting each other and seemingly trying to get a sense of each other’s lives but always being on the outskirts of society. The documentary spotlights the couple’s relationship including interactions with Hannah Kim, Sun Ja Kwon, Isolde, and Tilo Schulz. Their dilemma is constantly revisited during the film, but a solution does not seem to be found—the movie seemingly signals that in such a situation no solution is possible. The family, generational divides, and job drama are the focus of the film and of course the cultural differences are the main theme. The cultural differences seem to crowd out the moments of love and provide a layered look at the daily struggles of living in this family dynamic.

I really enjoyed the viewpoint being from Susanne Kim who is herself the one stuck/living this reality and trying to deal with it as a wife and mother. I think this resonates with anyone living in a multi-cultural family and raising a daughter trying to respect the people and the cultures on both sides. (Shanan R.)