Giovanni Fumu’s “Abroad” – 2023 BIFAN Review

As soon as Giovanni Fumu’s “Abroad” opens, it’s clear that something is amiss.  A Korean couple, Minji (Lim Youngjoo) and Taemin (Jang Seongbeom), arrives at a nearly empty airport in the American Midwest.  Their flight was late, Taemin’s asthma has acted up and their scheduled car rental plans are up in smoke because the man behind the counter refuses to extend his opening hours to accommodate.  Minji, the better English speaker of the two who has clearly organized the majority of this trip to see the aurora borealis, has a backup plan to reach their vacation home through a rideshare mobile app. But this solution instead increases their discomfort in a faraway land, and Taemin’s unease reaches a fever pitch when he suddenly discovers that Minji is nowhere to be found in their remote rental house.

Shot entirely in northern Minnesota during the COVID-19 pandemic, “Abroad” whisks viewers through a growing pile of twists and turns as, alongside Taemin, they try to unlock the keys to Minji’s disappearance.  The cinematography, sound and solid acting all contribute to Taemin’s desperation in a small town with few people – but notably, with no other people who look like him.  The startling contrast between crisp wide shots and unnerving murky closeups, accompanied by a very effective soundtrack anchored by Taemin of SHINee’s haunting 2019 hit “Want,” are a testament to Fumu’s deliberately minimalist approach.  It’s an approach that, ultimately, has served him well in an exceptional directorial and screenwriting feature debut.