Coming to YouComing to You

Gyuri Byun's groundbreaking Korean documentary centers on two working class mothers, Nabi and Vivian. Like many in South Korea, where there is a distinct lack of legal protections for queer communities and gay marriage remains illegal, neither women gave much thought to LGBTQ+ rights or its growing advocacy among the country's younger generations. Therefore, their lives and perceptions were upended when their respective children come out to them — Nabi's as trans, and Vivien's as gay. Reluctant to accept this news at first, both women's reactions reveal deep-rooted discriminatory beliefs about queerness. This is not uncommon in South Korean society, which makes their respective transformations all the more impactful — both women grew to not only accept their children's gender and sexuality, but became activists in their own right as members of Parents, Families and Allies of LGBTAIQ+ People in Korea. Both Nabi and Vivian grapple with the pain and lonliness their children feel, the struggle to access gender affirming care, and the yearning for societal and familial acceptance. Without shying away from their initial discriminatory opinions, Gyun's impressive film tells an unflinchingly honest story of hard-won allyship and gives faith to the idea that people can change their minds.