In Conversation: ‘The Rose: Come Back To Me’ Director Eugene Yi and Producer Diane Quon

by Aayushi Agarwal

Having premiered at the 2025 Tribeca Film Festival, The Rose: Come Back to Me (2025) is an intimate look at the global rise of the Korean indie rock band, The Rose. From their start as K-Pop trainees busking on the streets of Seoul to performing at Coachella to an audience of thousands, this documentary follows the four members, Sammy, Leo, Jeff, and Dylan, as they fight against all odds to create music on their own terms. I got the chance to talk to the film’s director, Eugene Yi, and producer, Diane Quon, about the band, being Asian American creatives, and filmmaking.

This interview has been edited for brevity.

Firstly, congratulations on the beautiful film! It was so honest and heartfelt, in a way that made me very emotional at times. What do you hope the audience at Tribeca and beyond takes away from this film? And what does this audience look like to you? 

EUGENE YI: I think there's a lot that can be taken away from the film. One of the many aspects of [The Rose’s] journey that stuck out to me was the fact that they chose their own path and stayed true to who they are. Especially as a Korean American, obviously there's K-Pop all over the place and you hear about that world, but [growing up,] it was so much rarer to hear about Korean musicians deciding to do things their own way. For that reason . . . I was always interested in Korean rock and Korean independent culture in general because it was fascinating to see people who were able to make things outside of that. And so there's just something really powerful with the guys about how they forged their own path. They chose each other. They chose a genre of music that isn't quite the mainstream there and decided to do things their own way. There's something about staying true to your vision and your dreams and your friends that is powerful.  

DIANE QUON: For me, it's the idea that it's okay to talk about mental health and depression, things that so often we don't talk about in the Asian culture because it's shameful or for whatever [reason], we're afraid to share feelings. I love that these four young men are willing to share what they went through with the hopes that it can help others, to say it's okay that you struggle with depression. And in turn, I hope that people see the power of music to heal. That's something that was important to them and why they even got into music, so I hope people see that and appreciate that—that this is so important to them in their message. This is something I always wanted to do because, I say this often, I hope that when people close their eyes, they don't know if [they’re] Asian or whatever color or race. You can be appreciated just for your music, and not be put in a box of Korean rock or Korean pop. It's just, you’re great musicians. To your question about the audience, I do hope it's universal. The fans of K-Pop tend to be very universal, and I hope that continues to be the case. 

You mentioned your interest in the band and why they stood out to you, but how did that start? Did you go to The Rose or did they come to you?  Were you already familiar with them? What drew you to their story? 

QUON: I had been approached by Janet Yang, one of our EPs, who knew the managers of The Rose, Transparent Arts, who you see in the film. They were telling her about a new band that they had signed, The Rose. This is a couple of years back when they were coming back from the military. When she heard that they had their roots in the K-Pop system, but dropped out because they wanted to do it their way, it really fascinated her. 

We talked about a lot of different ideas, but this one really struck me because I loved the idea of, as Eugene said, young people pursuing their dreams and doing it their way. That was the core thing that drew me to the story. I always wondered what happens when you go to the training system, and if you decide not to do this, what happens after? So I thought this would be an interesting story. Then, I reached out to Eugene. I didn't know The Rose before that. 

YI: I also wasn't familiar with The Rose before that, but when Diane mentioned this project, it was something that really appealed to me, too. For all the reasons that I mentioned [before], just being interested in Korean rock, and once I got to know the guys, what struck me was how candid they were. They were talking about things that I've not seen Korean artists speak about so openly. It seemed like they really had a story to tell, and I was so grateful that Diane reached out to me. We worked on a project before, and having the chance to work with Diane again was something I was very happy to have.  

I love the title of the film. I know it's a reference to their song, but it's also about more than that in the larger scale of things—how they were able to come back to their music, their band members, their fans.

YI: I’m so glad you got all that.

I was curious, what does “Come Back to Me” mean to you?  

YI: I think you've hit on a couple of the ones that resonated for me. Part of it also, without getting into spoiler alert territory, obviously, there were tensions in the band. So part of the “Come Back to Me” message was about the guys coming back to each other, too. Creative collaborations can be rocky, but the fact that they still had faith in the fellowship and the brotherhood that they created is something that I hope comes across in the film and was part of the “Come Back to Me.” As you mentioned, there are layers to it.  

QUON: One thing that comes to mind for me is the idea that you may end up pursuing things and go down a path, but eventually some folks realize that's not the path for you. So what feels true to you . . . come back to yourself and do what feels right to you and [don’t] be afraid to do that.

In my understanding, most documentaries of active artists tend to go directly to streaming or theaters for fans. Why did you choose to premiere this film at a festival instead? 

QUON: We still hope to bring it theatrically and stream it. But I really thought it would be great to have the premiere at a festival where we can have the band there to celebrate with us and have the whole team [there]. I feel like the premiere is a time where you can bring people together. The post[-production] team doesn't know the team that was in production, some of the film team didn't interact with the band. So I think it's a great way to make a celebration, and to make the announcement  that this film exists. 

[Making a film] is such a long journey and [the premiere] is the time you can all appreciate that this is something we all made together. It really hit me during the pandemic, because I had two films that were supposed to be at South by [Southwest] and they were canceled. SXSW was canceled, so we never had the opportunity. They were people I didn't meet for two years, [since] we had worked entirely on Zoom. 

YI: It really is such an honor to be at the festival. It's such a tremendous opportunity for us to recognize all the contributions that everybody on the team has made. To be able to do that is wonderful.

How long did it take to film this? You mentioned that you heard about them two years ago. Is that when you started filming? Did the thesis of the film evolve as you were filming or did the idea that you had at the beginning just get further solidified? 

YI: Filming started in late 2023 and went through April 2024, maybe early May. Going all the way up to Coachella and whatever we had after that. For me, the thesis of the film was there—the themes that we've been talking about—and it was just a question of trying to solidify what we could of that journey and make sure that those themes came across in a way that feels compelling and cinematic.

QUON: I think we knew what we wanted to shoot. Since they were on a tour and most of the time [are] in Korea, we had to plan out when we could shoot them. Other films are more vérité—you try to catch them and shoot whenever possible. But this we had to really plan because of their schedule. In terms of themes, like Eugene said, I think we had an idea of what we wanted because of what they shared in our initial talks with them. But of course, new things come up and we tried to address them too. 

YI: This is a chance to shout out our co-producers, Richard Hama and So Yun Um, as well. Diane, along with them, really drove production in a lot of ways. They were able to capture so much with the guys, which I think speaks to the trust that was able to be developed.  

QUON: Rich was the DP (Director of Photography) and So Yun was everything else we needed, whether it's sound, DIT (Direct Imaging Technician), line producing, shooting sometimes . . . and she always found the best food. I couldn't have done it without those two because they were so invested in the story and always ready to go. 

If I have this correct, this is the first documentary following a musical artist like this that you both have worked on. How has this experience been different from your other films you've worked on? Were parts of it challenging or unexpected? 

YI: I think because I come from an editing background, it's hard not to always be thinking about music. We all remember the needle-drop moments when a song comes on and it goes into this montage and you're like, “Oh, that's so cool.” What was interesting for me in this process—even in my first film, music plays a huge role, but with this, as we were working on it, the thing that I needed to be reminded of by folks that were part of our collaborating team, was that music is our friend. I would sometimes find myself thinking about stories so much that I'd have to remind myself, [that] no, there's a lot of space for music in this film, and to make sure to showcase the guys' music in a way that could go even beyond what I had been accustomed to. So it was fun to play in that realm and be like, “Oh no, we can have this many songs. Yeah, let's get this song in there, too.” 

QUON: For me, the challenge was the scheduling. When you're filming vérité with people, then you might be, like I was saying earlier, filming every day for weeks on end or months. But we had to really schedule because of them being on tour, so it was a different kind of planning and a different kind of shoot, because it had to be very intentional versus just letting the camera roll. Of course, because it's music, there's a lot more clearances and things like that that come from the territory, that we wouldn't usually get in a more personal or vérité doc. I had dealt with some, but nowhere to this scale.  As much as I said, “Let's have a lot of music,” it just needed a lot more clearances. Because I've not worked on a music doc, I haven't been able to be backstage and experience that kind of feeling [before], and that was so much fun. That was just a fun experience, to feel like what it is to be a band and be at Coachella, to perform there. Everything just added to it. It was right at 5:30-6 when the sun is setting . . . it was this perfect night to experience it. 

There are so many clips in the movie of their performances, from their start in busking and all the way to Coachella. How did you sort through all of their performances to find which ones you wanted to show and where you wanted to place them in the movie? 

YI: There was definitely a feeling of wanting to show that progression from the early songs and busking that they did and making sure that by the time we get to Coachella and the [Kia] Forum show towards the end, that there's this impact, that you can really feel the journey they've been on. I'm sure Diane has a different and interesting answer on this, but I think some of it is less calculated and more just a feel. Our editor, David Simpson, dropped in that song, “You're Beautiful,” into the moment where we're talking about the Black Roses, the fandom, and the way that the footage was shot and the feeling of the song . . . even though in terms of the progression, it doesn't necessarily make 100% sense, it just felt right. It's always that balance between what feels right and what, rationally, you need to explain at a certain moment.

QUON: What Eugene answered was just right. It was more a feeling. Sometimes it definitely was what they were singing at the moment that we're describing, but other times it was more a feeling that this feels right in this place. I just thought it would be great throughout for people to experience their music and all the different styles. So sometimes it wasn't in order, but it was the right time.

I will say, the moment when Jeff sings the opening verse of “Seesaw” and the rest of the members respond in the second verse, I started tearing up.

YI: I think that moment did that for all of us as well. It was one of those moments where the camera work works with the storytelling too. In a way that . . . you find those moments and you're like, “Okay, this is doing exactly what it needs to.” I'm so glad that landed. 

I loved the small clips of animation interspersed within the film, because it's not something I've seen before in a documentary like that. What made you want to go in that art direction? 

QUON: As we were filming them, they would tell stories about the past. And we would ask them, “Do you have any archival and personal materials that you can share with us?” But often they didn't have that, so we were thinking about how we [can] show that memory, and we were just drawn to animation . . . especially the guys, [they] use animation, they're always playful. Even their new album, WRLD, it's using crayons to color their title. It would be such a nice fit while they're telling these stories. For instance, one of the first things that's animated is Leo talking about this experience he had when he was busking. Even when we were filming him, and he was talking about that experience, we were thinking, “How do we show that?” Because it was such an emotional time for him, when he played and people actually listened to them. So that's why I thought animation would work. 

YI: It’s exactly that. When you're putting together a documentary and you hear a story and you don't know what you're going to look at, you're like, “How is this not just a podcast?” The usual ways are, you try and find archival footage or B-roll . . . or animation that might be able to evoke what's there. I'm really happy with how the animation turned out. Naeyeon Cho was the name of our animator. She's also New York-based. She did an amazing job capturing something very interior about each of the stories. Whenever an animated scene can do that, show something that's on the inside . . . I end up crying or feeling happy or whatever it might be.

Seeing the archival footage and just how young they were felt so personal and real. How difficult was it to trace the clips? Did you have specific footage you were looking for or did you work with what you had? 

QUON: Probably a combination. 

YI: Yeah, I would say both. There's the stuff that's online already of course, they are a band with a presence. So you can find some of those busking videos online. But then the guys were [also] really generous in terms of sharing stuff from their personal archives. That's where there's so much gold, of the kinds of things that you, as a fan, are craving.

There were sections where we'd be like, “This is our busking montage,” and we want to make sure we find the right clips that balance how new they were with how talented they already were together. It was a process of parsing through what was out there and what we got from the guys to be able to find the right clip.

QUON: Leo, especially, is one that collects [and] keeps everything, so it was amazing when he shared his archives with us . . . Transparent Arts also had a lot of archives, everything that they've done with The Rose since they partnered with them, to share with us which was really helpful.

I noticed that during some of the more vulnerable moments of the film, it never strayed into voyeurism, which I imagine might have been hard as someone from the outside who is not only watching, but also recording. How did you stay mindful of maintaining a level of privacy and comfort for the band members while still making this very personal story?  

YI: Part of that is . . . it’s like any relationship, I guess. This is a credit to the guys for being so open and trusting with us. You want to honor their candor without overstepping into something that, like you said, feels like voyeurism. Part of it also is our team, all of us bringing our emotional intelligence together. I'm sure you're familiar with Diane's work. There's so much heart-wrenching material in so many of her films, but there's always a sense of grace and care in that. Even from my own experiences, navigating that has always felt really important, because it's a community, it's a relationship, and you want to make sure to do right by that pact in the end. 

QUON: I totally agree with all that you just said. We’d always try to listen to them, too. They did see a cut before it was finalized. Every film I've done, I always show it to the participants . . . just to be sure they're 100% okay. Or, if they are not okay, at least we can discuss it and talk about what it is . . . It’s to make sure everyone is comfortable. I think they knew that so it helps with the trust too. 

YI: There's cultural sensitivities that . . . even I, a Korean American born in the U.S., if I don't know all the nuances of what feels right for a Korean national, my hope is always . . . I think all of us have this understanding, because so much of the team was Asian American or has multiple intersectional identities, you understand that there's something there like, “I might not be the best to explain, but I want to make sure that this feels right in your world and the way you put it.” . . . Making sure that all of those sensitivities are at play, especially given how sensitive some of the material that we talked about is, and how some things feel more comfortable to talk about as Americans and as Koreans  . . . [knowing] how far to push that. That was something I'm grateful that we were able to work with the guys on to make sure the balance felt right. 

How did you, as Asian American creatives, feel making this documentary about an Asian band mostly from Asia? What did this film mean to you? 

YI: Our stories, the value of our stories, on some level, never stops being questioned. [It’s a] question of whether our stories can be universal, like the way Diane was describing, or whether they're just specific, and whether they deserve to be part of the broader sphere of stories, of American stories, of human stories. So it's been a tremendous privilege to work on AAPI and Asian stories, because it requires constant work to show that our stories are that. Especially now, it's important to make sure that our stories keep getting out there, to make sure that the fact that our stories are human stories and are universal stories is not something that's forgotten. 

Even with The Rose, they are a demonstration of that. Like Diane was saying, you want to hear them as a rock band and they are, they're an amazing rock band, and they just happen to be Korean and Korean American. The fact that they've been able to build this kind of fan base that's so international, speaks to exactly what you're talking about. There are more avenues and more ways to hear each other's stories now. And we just have to keep telling our stories and keep making our music and keep singing our song.