Korean indie rock band The Rose plays at Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in 2024, in a scene from the documentary “The Rose: Come Back to Me” / Courtesy of Rock and Rose Films
“The Rose: Come Back to Me” opens with a familiar image in K-pop storytelling — young musicians chasing a dream — but quickly turns into something less typical: a story about a Korean indie rock band determined to retain creative control, even when it costs them years in court.
Released in theaters on Feb. 14, the documentary follows The Rose, a four-member band that has built a global following largely outside the traditional K-pop idol system. Rather than focusing on trainee camps, survival shows or major agencies, the film tracks how the group formed organically, wrote its own songs and tried to protect its creative voice in an industry built around tightly managed idols.
That perspective sets it apart from recent Korean pop-centered documentaries. Streaming platforms have spotlighted major idol acts in polished behind-the-scenes features such as “BLACKPINK: Light Up the Sky” and “BTS Monuments: Beyond the Star,” as well as audition docuseries like “Pop Star Academy: KATSEYE.” While “The Rose: Come Back to Me” exists in the same genre of global K-pop documentary, it tells its story from the periphery rather than the center of the industry.
The Rose, which debuted in 2017, consists of three Koreans — Dojoon, Hajoon and Taegyeom — and one Korean American member, Woosung. Their debut song, “Sorry,” became an instant hit in Europe, and their first European tour months after their debut, which included stops in Brussels, Moscow, Istanbul, London and Budapest, sold out.
Unlike many other K-pop documentaries, the film doesn’t show the group undergoing grueling trainee boot camps. Instead, it focuses on the band’s natural formation, practices and struggle to build recognition. It also documents the band’s conflicts with their management company as they seek to maintain their artistic direction, from decisions on group composition to the number of main vocalists on stage.
The 96-minute long documentary spends much of its run time on conflicts with the management company, which allegedly attempted to drive wedges between members, causing emotional strain. The Rose’s dispute with the company culminated in a lawsuit in 2020. After two years of legal proceedings, the band ultimately won the case.
“If you look at The Rose’s journey, it was us who made choices from the forming of the band all the way to now,” Dojoon said.
The film also shows the band’s unsuccessful efforts to gain recognition in their home country.
An early breakthrough came with Woosung’s collaboration with BTS’ Suga. The group also appeared on a K-pop music talk show on KBS. However, their initial momentum quickly faded after news emerged that Woosung had previously been apprehended for marijuana possession.
Source: Korea Times News
