French-Cambodian writer-director Davy Chou’s second feature film directly references a scene from Abbas Kiarostami’s Like Someone In Love which was shot in Tokyo. Like Kiarostami, Chou navigates longing, frustration and connection in South Korea, a country outside of his homeland. Inspired by his friend who was adopted by a French family, he paints a fascinating and exhilaratingly unpredictable character portrait of a French-Korean woman who goes in search of her biological family in a country where she doesn’t understand the language or culture.

First time actress Park Ji-min stars in the lead role of Freddie. She is an extraordinary screen presence who completely inhabits a complex character dealing with the emotional aftermath of adoption. Set over an eight-year period in which the fractured Freddie experiences huge highs and lows on a journey to find her parents, the combination of Ji-min’s dazzling performance and Chou’s engrossing storytelling style beautifully translates her joy, pain and sense of bewilderment.

Freddie is at turns the life of the party, the embodiment of pure sadness, full of rage or so coldly detached that her actions turn cruel. A restaurant scene where she draws a group of strangers together over booze is invigorating, with the jazzy score matching her enthusiasm and hunger for new experiences. Music is a major factor in the film and switches genres multiple times as Freddie grapples with her identity. In a club scene where she lets loose and hits the dancefloor, the visual influence of Claire Denis is apparent with a wild sequence that expresses attraction, confusion and hurt feelings with a visceral rawness.

Chou has crafted a gorgeous and haunting drama that cuts deep on the invisible scars and unspoken emotions that shape a person. It’s shot through with intoxicating images, an alluring central performance and a truly unforgettable final scene.

In cinemas now.