Netflix director likens BTS reunion to Homer's 'The Odyssey'

Bao Nguyen, director of the upcoming Netflix documentary “BTS: The Return,” likened BTS’ military hiatus and reunion to Homer’s “The Odyssey,” describing the group’s return as a modern journey shaped by separation, longing and homecoming.

Speaking in a recorded interview screened Thursday at the fifth BTS Global Interdisciplinary Conference in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, Nguyen said the comparison first came to him while watching BTS perform at SoFi Stadium in 2021, before the members began their mandatory military service.

“BTS reminded me of Odysseus about to go off into the military, into war,” Nguyen said. “And Army, in a way, was like Penelope yearning for their return.”

Nguyen said “The Odyssey” was never intended as a literal storytelling device because that would have been “too on the nose.” Instead, he said, the epic served as a conceptual framework for understanding the emotional and mythic dimensions of the group’s reunion.

The Vietnamese American filmmaker said conversations with the members further shaped the documentary, including RM’s reflections on Chronos and Kairos, two concepts of time in Greek philosophy.

“When RM said that, it helped me define the language of the film better,” Nguyen said. “After that, I started talking to the members more about ‘The Odyssey’ and how I felt like there were parallels.”

Nguyen said he deliberately avoided presenting BTS through an explanatory lens for Western audiences. Rather than serving as a “cultural translator,” he said, he sought to observe the group as authentically as possible.

“I didn’t want to ever simplify Korea or BTS for Western audiences,” he said. “As a filmmaker, I am trying to be an observer and not necessarily define things.”

He said he also drew inspiration from Vietnamese American poet Ocean Vuong’s idea of creating work “not about people, but with people,” allowing the members to influence how they were portrayed on screen.

The documentary includes scenes selected with the members’ input, from Jin playing tennis and RM visiting a museum to Jungkook spending time with his dog, Bam. Nguyen said those moments were intended to present BTS not only as a global phenomenon but also as seven individuals with distinct personalities and perspectives.

Nguyen was among the speakers invited to the fifth BTS Global Interdisciplinary Conference, which opened Thursday at Jeonbuk National University under the theme “The Next Generation Hallyu & BTS.” The conference brought together about 50 scholars from 10 countries to examine BTS, fan culture and the future of the Korean Wave.