BTS inspired Netflix director Bao Nguyen to think of Homer’s The Odyssey while he was shaping the BTS: The Return documentary. In a recorded interview shown on July 3, 2026, at the fifth BTS Global Interdisciplinary Conference in Jeonju, Nguyen said he first saw the connection while watching BTS perform at SoFi Stadium in 2021, before the members began mandatory military service. The director said the group reminded him of Odysseus leaving for war, while ARMY felt like Penelope waiting for their return.
“BTS reminded me of Odysseus about to go off into the military, into war, And Army, in a way, was like Penelope yearning for their return.”
The Vietnamese-American director said he did not want to use The Odyssey as a direct storyline because that would have felt too obvious. Instead, he used it to understand the feelings surrounding BTS reuniting after their time away from the spotlight. He said conversations with the members helped shape the film, especially RM’s thoughts on Chronos and Kairos, two Greek concepts of time. The director affirmed that those ideas achieved the right language for the documentary and gave him a clearer way to describe the group’s journey.
The director also revealed he did not want to explain BTS or Korean culture through a Westernized lens. Instead, he wanted to observe the group and let the members help shape how they were shown on screen. Nguyen expressed he was influenced by Vietnamese-American poet Ocean Vuong’s idea of making work with people, not just about them.
“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.”
The documentary includes scenes chosen with BTS’ input, such as Jin playing tennis, RM visiting a museum and Jungkook spending time with his dog Bam. Nguyen revealed that those moments show BTS not only as a global group, but also as seven different people with their own lives and interests. The Vietnamese-American director was part of the speakers invited to the fifth BTS Global Interdisciplinary Conference, under the theme “The Next Generation Hallyu & BTS.” The event brought together about 50 scholars from 10 countries to discuss BTS, fan culture, and the Korean Wave.
