How is it possible for a man and a woman from different cultures, languages, and environments to live together? Despite so many differences, what is the nature of the emotion called love that gives them the courage to live together? Becoming Kim is a documentary that drifts over these questions. About ten years ago, in Damascus, Syria, German woman Susanne and Korean man Jeong Rae met by chance, instantly fell in love, got married, and had a daughter, Hanna. However, marriage in practice was far from the illusion of romance. Jeong Rae, as if he were fated to wander, frequently stayed away from home while living in Germany and eventually announced that he would return to his hometown in Gangwon Province, South Korea, and open a charcoal-grilled chicken restaurant. Susanne, a documentary filmmaker, could not take it anymore and declared, "If you open a chicken restaurant, I will make a film about us." That is how this film was made, and its world is nothing but complex. Susanne comes to Korea with her daughter Hanna and tries to live like an ordinary family, but is hindered by Jeong Rae's uncooperative attitude and cultural barriers. Their situation does not get better even when Jeong Rae returns to Germany. In fact, depending on how one sees it, the situation of this couple and their family is quite serious. But director Susanne Kim's optimistic attitude transcended it into something humorous. Susanne wandering the streets in a chicken costume as if protesting, and strolling about in a hippopotamus outfit, somewhat ease the tension in their relationship. Becoming Kim does not resolve the mystery of love aforementioned, but conveys hope that if one acknowledges that a relationship has problems and examines their causes, things can gradually improve. (MOON Seok)