Written & Directed by Nicolas Chae
Coming-of-Age Drama / Musical Drama | In Development
“After moving to Seoul, a Black American teenager struggling to find where he belongs befriends a Korean-American producer, and together they discover that making music – and finding home – may require them to stop performing who they think they're supposed to be.”
Seventeen-year-old Alize arrives in Seoul expecting to feel at home. Raised in Los Angeles and immersed in Korean-American culture, he quickly discovers that knowing a culture is different from belonging to it. At school, he struggles with language, identity, and being perceived as an outsider. He eventually meets Gloss, a Korean-American gyopo and aspiring producer who has spent her own life navigating the space between America and Korea. United by their love of hip-hop, the two begin creating music together, sampling the sounds of Seoul and blending their different experiences into something uniquely theirs. But as their collaboration gains momentum, their opposing ideas about belonging begin to surface: Alize refuses to compromise his identity, while Gloss has learned to adapt to survive. Their growing conflict forces each to confront the ways they've been performing themselves for other people. Through their music, they begin to understand that belonging isn't about choosing one culture over another – it's about making space for every part of who they are.
Tone: Intimate, atmospheric, contemporary, character-driven. Secondary genre elements: Cultural drama / friendship.
Seoul is being developed as a character in its own right – the film is designed to be shot entirely on location, moving through the city’s streets, food culture, neighborhoods, and everyday spaces rather than treating the setting as a backdrop.