The Quiet Migration
Director Malene Choi (The Return, SIFF 2018) is back with this thoughtful and semiautobiographical film about transnational adoption, following a South Korean adoptee raised on a family dairy farm in the Danish countryside.
After winning the prestigious FIPRESCI award at the Berlin International Film Festival, director Malene Choi (2018's The Return) is back at SIFF with her semiautobiographical film The Quiet Migration. The second film in a trilogy about transnational adoption, The Quiet Migration follows Carl, a South Korean adoptee raised on a family dairy farm in the Danish countryside. Carl's parents address his Korean heritage with an "if we don't talk about it, it's not a problem" attitude, leaving Carl in the dark about his past. When it comes time for Carl to begin thinking about taking over the farm, his unresolved questions about where he was born leave him torn between staying in the home he's always known or searching for one in which he will fit in better. Choi's expert camerawork blends documentary and drama, utilizing lingering scenes and full-body shots to make you an observer in the room as events unfold. The Quiet Migration is an excellent pick for fans of recent films like Minari (2020) or The Quiet Girl (2022).
—Mackenzie Wardlow
- Original Language Title: Stille Liv
- Director: Malene Choi
- Principal Cast: Cornelius Won Riedel-Clausen, Bodil Jørgensen, Bjarne Henriksen
- Premiere Status: North American
- Country: Denmark
- Year: 2023
- Running Time: 102 min.
- Producer: Maria Møller Kjeldgaard
- Screenplay: Malene Choi, Sissel Dalsgaard Thomsen
- Cinematographers: Louise McLaughlin
- Editors: Malene Choi, Sofie Steenberger
- Music: Kristoffer Salting, Brian Dyrby
- Website: Official Film Website
- Filmography: The Return (2018)
- Language: Danish, English, Korean
- Has Subtitles: Yes
- International Sales: TrustNordisk