The upcoming Netflix documentary, "BTS: The Return," digs into sides of BTS — arguably the world’s most successful K-pop group — that remain largely unknown, even 13 years after its debut, director Bao Nguyen says.

“The weight of this return was evident when we were filming and the pressure that they were experiencing, I knew the film was going to be slightly different from what I had pictured,” Nguyen said during a press conference for the documentary held at central Seoul on Friday.


“Through the entire process of the film [...] witnessing the members and for the first time in many years living together and creating together [...] I hope that people felt this as well. The film [is] obviously about the creative process, but it's [also] about brotherhood and your second family and how you sort of find yourself in a world that is very hard to navigate being BTS, but you’re able to do it because you’re doing it with your six other brothers in a way.”

The documentary captures the group’s comeback journey as they reunite after nearly four years of hiatus, documenting the creation of their fifth full-length album, "Arirang," including two months of living and recording together in Los Angeles.

However, it was the director's task to present a different depiction of the band, given the group’s openness and extensive behind-the-scenes content already available. Nguyen’s solution was to hand each member an old-style camcorder, allowing them to document their own moments.

“Early on, we gave them these old-style camcorders, allowing them to document parts of the time in LA,” he said.

“I think finding those moments where, for me, those types of cameras evoke almost a home video style footage, like that your father or your family member would shoot. And so knowing that they were a family to each other, having them document that was something I knew would be very hard to capture from an outside film crew. So we have these moments of intimacy between them that are shot by them that I think are really beautiful and unique.”

As a filmmaker close behind the scenes, Nguyen also shared one of the most striking aspects he discovered was the group’s sense of “responsibility.”

“Sometimes we forget what BTS represents to the world as Koreans, but as global artists too, we often neglect that responsibility that they have in many ways, and to see how they handle that responsibility and transform it to a privilege and transform it into something that's beautiful, you know, artistically and creatively,” Nguyen said. “They don't take it for granted. So that was something that, through the making of the film, I respected and admired witnessing through them.”

The documentary showcases very raw and unfiltered moments of the members, including them swearing or drinking alcohol, which is far from the typical idol portrayal. This issue was also discussed internally at the agency, according to Nicole Kim, vice president at BigHit Music. However, ultimately, including those moments aligned with the group’s new “chapter 2.0.”

“We did have long discussions within the label and together with the artists about what to show and what not to show in the documentary,” Kim said. “But as launching a new chapter 2.0, we thought it was important to show the authentic side of BTS, along with the raw side and the more mature side of them.”

The BigHit Music vice president, Kim, also shared the simple yet clear reason the agency decided to participate in the project, adding that the members were very happy with the result.

“These moments felt too precious to keep to ourselves,” said Kim. “With the release of ‘Arirang’ as a starting point, BTS is stepping into a new chapter, and we thought it would be meaningful if fans and even the general public could watch that process and relate to it.”

Documentary “BTS: The Return” is set to be released on Netflix on Friday.


BY KIM JI-YE [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]