Synopsis
In 1976 a three year boy, Bae Suk, along with other South Korean children, landed at Zurich Airport on a no return flight from Seoul. Bae Suk settles with a foster family near Basel and receives a new name, Mischa.
Mischa integrates successfully into his new surroundings, but often feels like a stranger. For the next three decades Mischa suppresses all thoughts about his adoption and Korean origin. However at 35 Mischa is gripped with a strong curiosity and desire to fill in the missing gaps of his lost Korean identity. He realizes that there is a lot to find out. With his parents name printed on his adoption papers and the help of the adoption agency he discovers he has a sister who already tried to contact him in 1992.
Mischa is now completely intrigued and determined to follow these clues to his past. He quits his job and flat and emigrates to South Korea.
A journey into the unknown begins.
| Duration | 88 minutes |
| Format | DCP / 5.1 |
| Languages | Swiss German dialect, German, English, Korean |
| Subtitles | English, German, French |
| Distribution | Cineworx GmbH (cinema release in CH in December 2016) |
| Festivals | Solothurn Film Festival 2016, Freistadt Festival 2016 – “Der Neue Heimatfilm” |
Full movie available on VIMEO ON DEMAND
Press / Reviews
„Reset Restart is his personal story of emigration. One that touches you through its honesty rather than losing itself in emotional battlefields surrounding adoption.“
Swiss Television (10vor10 News)
„Reset Restart is the sensitive portrait of a brave young man who leaves his entire life behind to get to the bottom of his past.”
Cineman
“Judith Lichtneckert presents a strong documentary. (…) Reset-Restart is a stirring film that asks more than it answers. It questions home and origin, belonging and rootlessness.“
Basler Zeitung
“Judith Lichtneckert presents an intimiate and sensitive film portrait. While the camera follows Mischa to Seoul, looking discreetly over his shoulders, we witness his own rediscovery, revealing deeply human reactions of amazement and fear; speechlessness and shame. It is the triumph of love over personal barriers, surpassing cultural boundaries.”
Neue Zürcher Zeitung
“The film finds a perfect narrative rhythm, which is a pleasure to follow. Both protagonist and film shine through their honesty and authenticity. We learn how an existential road movie can have a straightforward and credible tonality.”
Filmexplorer
“Reset Restart is a fascinatingly subjective film about a radically deliberate change of life.”
Sennhausers Filmblog
Filminfo
| Written and directed by | Judith Lichtneckert |
| Cinematography/Sound | Andreas Birkle, Philip Caviezel, Daniel Casparis |
| Editing | Daniel Casparis, Annette Brütsch |
| Music | Martin Skalsky, Christian Schlumpf, Michael Duss |
| Sound Design/Sound Mix | Daniel Hobi Digital |
| Postproduction | Rolf Lang, Redsmoke AG |
| Graphic Design | Jane Gebel/Nora Cista, Tarzan + Jane |
| Produced by | Judith Lichtneckert Emilia Productions Gmbh & Nico Gutmann, Unico Films Gmbh |