Relative Strangers

Work-in-Progress

Relative Strangers is about a group of mixed race adopted Koreans who were among the first to be sent overseas for adoption by American and European families in the aftermath of the Korean War. Born to Korean women and unknown or unacknowledged by their American GI fathers, they were stigmatized by Korean society and sent overseas. Now they’re in their 50s and 60s, armed with DNA kits, and searching for their original families.  The film follows their journeys as they confront their complicated pasts, uncovering the racial and social inequalities of the world’s largest international adoption program.

Our protagonists begin their journey with their lives at a crossroads: the past, buried in the rubble of war, and the future, offering them a chance to come to terms with the lives they could have had and lost. Over eight years, the film follows them as they visit adoption agencies, orphanages, and military camptowns, learning about the painful history of Korean women forced into military prostitution and coerced into relinquishing their children. They also receive their DNA results and find and meet their siblings and birth parents. 

As our protagonists discover their families, they grapple with mixed emotions—vulnerability and affirmation, courage and confusion. Unexpected DNA results reveal that Korean adoptees are related to wide-ranging international families, including African Americans, Vietnamese Amerasians, and Black Germans, allowing us to examine multiple heritages through the lens of the Korean War. Relative Strangers (currently in production) offers a powerful reflection on identity, family, and the enduring impact of war and adoption.   

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