Relative Strangers

Work-in-Progress

During and after the Korean War, thousands of mixed-race children were abandoned by their American GI fathers, stigmatized by Korean society, and sent to be adopted by couples in the West. Today many are searching for their original families, initiating unexpected discoveries about self, family, race, and culture. Relative Strangers follows their stories, uncovering the racial and social inequalities of the world’s largest international adoption program, and its impact on individuals and societies.

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 seven 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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