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A Korean family stares at camera with fairly neutral expressions on their faces.

Between Goodbyes

  Jota Mun

  United States     96 minutes

Synopsis

Born in South Korea, but adopted by Dutch parents and raised in the Netherlands, Mieke lives happily as a queer woman with her partner in the city of Utrecht. But when her guilt-ridden birth parents reach out to her after years of separation, Mieke’s life is upended. She  must come to grips with who she is, and also who she might have been — made all the more complex by the entrenched homophobia that still exists in South Korean society.

Filmmaker Jota Mun — themself a Korean adoptee — traces Mieke’s story, recounting the events leading up to her reunion and observing her ongoing internal conflicts about her birth parents and where she belongs. Equally affecting is the film’s sympathetic focus on Mieke’s vulnerable mother Okgyun, who desperately seeks forgiveness for giving her daughter up for adoption. Beautifully conceived and profoundly multilayered, Between Goodbyes is a heartbreaking and uplifting story of family, identity, and acceptance.

 Korean, English, Dutch with subtitles

Screenings & Events

Screening

Fri, Oct 18 @ 5:30pm CDT

at AMC NEWCITY 14, screen 04

By filmmaker request, masking is highly encouraged at this screening.

Scheduled to Attend:
Director Jota Mun
Accessibility options for this screening:
  • Closed Captions
Learn more about accessibility options...

Screening

Sat, Oct 26 @ 5:45pm CDT

at AMC NEWCITY 14, screen 01

By filmmaker request, masking is highly encouraged at this screening. An air purifier will be provided as well.

Scheduled to Attend:
Director Jota Mun
Accessibility options for this screening:
  • Closed Captions
Learn more about accessibility options...

Media

Film Credits

  •   Zoe Sua Cho, Jota Mun, Barb Lee
  •   Michelle Chang
  •   Jimin Lee
  •   Mieke Merkes, Okgyun Kang
  •   Gene Back
  •   Alex Gibney, Maiken Baird
  •   Jjigae Productions, Point Made Films, Avonhead Films
  •   https://betweengoodbyes.com

Sponsors

Documentary Program Partner

Logo: WTTW (2019)

Documentary Program Patron

Cynthia Stone Raskin