▲ Vietnamese American documentary filmmaker Bao Nguyen attends a press conference in Seoul for the upcoming documentary "BTS: The Return," in this photo provided by Netflix. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
▲ A poster for "BTS: The Return" is seen in this image provided by Netflix. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
▲ BTS performs at its comeback concert at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul on March 21, 2026, in this photo provided by BigHit Music and Netflix. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

BTS documentary-director

'BTS: The Return' captures brotherhood under 'heavy crown': director

By Woo Jae-yeon

SEOUL, March 23 (Yonhap) -- The upcoming Netflix documentary "BTS: The Return" sets itself apart from previous BTS documentaries by capturing the members' intimate and personal interactions as they navigate the pressure of a comeback, its director has said.

"Being BTS is a heavy crown. They carry immense responsibility as Korean and global artists," Vietnamese American documentary filmmaker Bao Nguyen said at a press conference on Friday. "What stood out was how they transform that burden into something meaningful and beautiful."

The director, known for documentaries like "The Greatest Night in Pop" (2024) and "The Stringer" (2025), said the key to the film was capturing the group's creative process without disrupting it.

"You never want to be part of the mechanism that drives the story," the director said. "For me, it was about helping them forget the camera so they could be vulnerable and creative."

Beyond the creative process, Nguyen emphasized the significance of the comeback itself, recalling his attendance at one of the group's last concerts in the United States before it went on hiatus for mandatory military service.

There, he witnessed the emotional farewell between BTS and its fans, comparing it to the separation between Odysseus and his wife, Penelope, in the Greek epic "The Odyssey."

"I felt the moment was so special," he said.

In order to capture behind-the-scenes and unguarded moments, the director gave the members their own cameras to document their time together in a home-video style.

"Knowing that they are like a family to each other, having them document that was something I knew would be very hard to capture from an outside film crew," he said. "We have these moments of intimacy between them that are shot by them, which I think are really beautiful and unique."

While he initially expected the filming process to be smooth, it was not long before he realized "the weight of their return and the pressure they were experiencing."

"That's when I knew the film would be different," he said. "It became not just about the creative process, but about brotherhood and family -- how they navigate a difficult world as BTS, and how they do it together."

The documentary "BTS: The Return" follows the seven artists on a trip to Los Angeles last summer, where they come together to create and record new music.

The film lays bare the superstars' raw emotions, burden and vulnerabilities throughout the creative process, but at the same time it shines a spotlight on the deep bond they share as a chosen family, one that has carried them through in the past decade to where they stand today.

"BTS: The Return" will premiere this Friday.

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