According to FlixPatrol, a platform that aggregates streaming rankings, on the 29th, the documentary BTS: The Return rose to No. 7 on Netflix’s global film chart (including English-speaking regions) the day before. Notably, the film entered the Top 10 in 85 countries and reached No. 1 in 15 countries, including South кσяєα, נαραи, Hong Kong, ѕιиgαρσяє, мєχι¢σ, and Bolivia—an impressive achievement for a music documentary.
Released on the 27th, BTS: The Return documents the production process of BTS’s fifth studio album ARIRANG. The film follows the group’s reunion after a long time, capturing how the members come together to shape their unique musical identity. According to the director, what sets this project apart from previous BTS documentaries is its focus on the members’ intimate, personal interactions as they navigate the pressure of a major comeback.
Meanwhile, Bao Nguyen is a Vietnamese-αмєяι¢αn filmmaker known for works exploring identity and culture, with films screened at major festivals such as Sundance Film Festival and Tribeca Film Festival, and broadcast on platforms including HBO, PBS, ESPN, and Netflix. In July 2024, his film The Greatest Night in Pop earned three Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Documentary.
Following the film’s success, on the 30th, Vogue Magazine published an exclusive interview with the director, delving deeper into how he built BTS: The Return and his thoughts on global K-pop superstars. In the quick Q&A section at the end of the article, one question from the Vogue reporter particularly caught fans’ attention: “Do you have a bias, or are you OT7?” Without hesitation, Bao Nguyen firmly answered, “OT7.”
Even when the reporter continued to press him on whether he might have a slight preference for any member, the director maintained the same answer: “OT7.” His response made the interviewer laugh, prompting her to comment, “Good, stay out of trouble,” as she revealed herself to be a “V bias”.
Bao Nguyen’s reaction to this question is not surprising, as it clearly reflects the philosophy he pursued throughout the film. From the production stage, he demonstrated complete respect for BTS’s “OT7” identity—choosing to wait for Jin to finish his personal schedule and arrive in the U.S. before beginning filming, rather than shooting early with the members who were already there.
He even claimed that: "The real return doesn't happen until they're all together. It's OT7. Jin's arrival was always the beginning of the film for me, because this is when they are all together, and this is when they are BTS.”
Moreover, Bao Nguyen adopted a unique filmmaking approach by giving the members personal cameras to document their own lives. As he explained, “Knowing that they are like a family to each other, having them document those moments was soмєтнing I knew would be very hard to capture from an outside film crew.”
At this point, fans have expressed even greater respect for director Nguyen, praising that: "Director Bao Nguyen gets it, he’s a real OT7!", "We do not thank this man enough. Had he not insisted on waiting for Jin, we would have had a BTS6 documentary", "Biggest shoutout and thankyou to bao nguyen, you made soмєтнing so incredibly beautiful and deep, i cannot thank you enough", "He understood the αѕѕignment perfectly", "Of course he’s OT7—no wonder the documentary felt so genuine and respectful", "Him choosing OT7 twice?? That’s how you know he truly sees BTS as one unit. Respect",...
Beyond the “bias” question, the Vogue quick Q&A also revealed several interesting choices from the director. When asked about his favorite track from ARIRANG, he chose “Body to Body,” while his favorite BTS song outside the album is “Spring Day.” In a humorous hypothetical scenario—“If you had a new phone and the only contacts were the seven BTS members, who would you call in a medical emergency?”—Bao Nguyen immediately answered: RM. When it comes to planning a bachelor party, he would choose j-hope, and for composing his personal “life theme song,” he would turn to Jimin.
Through these concise yet engaging answers, Bao Nguyen once again emphasized that BTS’s greatest strength lies in the unity of all seven members—and that THE RETURN is, ultimately, a love letter dedicated to that extraordinary bond.
