The Rose: Come Back to Me Film Review

The Rose: Come Back to Me is an honest account of a K-pop band’s rise to fame and their determination to stay true to their identity.

Thankfully, you don’t have to know the subject of a documentary to enjoy watching their journey to success. I’m so glad I took a chance to watch it because not only are the four band members – Woosung (aka Sammy Kim), Dojoon (Leo Park), Hajoon (Dylan Lee), and Jaehyeong (Jeff Lee) – incredibly down-to-earth, but there’s also something inspiring about their backstory. It’s also clear how much the members adore their fans and how talented they are musically. Additionally, their rise to fame has a happy ending, as they now get to do what they love every day and share their music with the world. 

The Rose: Come Back to Me begins with the band performing at Coachella in 2024 to a packed crowd. After their set, they informed the crowd they had been together for 7 years. Guitarist Sammy explains that a large audience wasn’t something they had when they first started. He states that their first gig only had about 30 people, half of which were their friends.

We then go back to 2012, when it all began in Hongdae, South Korea. At this point in the documentary, the band explains how they got into music before meeting the other members. Back then, Leo, a vocalist and guitarist/keyboard player for the group,  busking on the streets because he had always loved to perform. In the documentary, he mentions that, at the time, he would live off the tips. He always picked songs to cover that resonated with him rather than those that were popular and more likely to draw in a crowd.

Band member Sammy, one of The Rose’s guitar players and also a vocalist, is Korean-American, although he spent many years living in Korea. As a kid, he adored football, but a dislocated shoulder ended his dreams of potentially pursuing the sport. He was devastated at the time, but music helped him through that difficult period and became his therapy and focus. In 2012, he appeared on K-Pop Stars, a popular Korean reality television singing show, and finished in third place.

While busking, Leo met Dylan (The Rose’s drummer), who then introduced him to the band’s bassist, Jeff. Though the group was almost complete, they wanted one more member. While searching for a fourth person, Leo remembered that he had met Sammy while clubbing many years prior, who might seem like a good fit as he played the guitar. After he agreed to join the group, The Rose was formed. By 2016, they were signed by a label, and the rest is history. 

Although the group has now been together for eight years, throughout The Rose: Come Back to Me, you feel as if you’re experiencing their success alongside them in real time, and it’s beautiful to witness. You often hear about bands breaking up due to conflicts within the group and clashing personalities. However, with The Rose, you can tell just how much they care about each other and their amazing chemistry with one another. Even when Sammy signed on with a K-pop company that wanted to represent him as a solo artist, he refused to leave his band members behind. The group works so well together in unison, and it’s inspiring to watch. 

Throughout the documentary, viewers also witness just how hard The Rose worked not only to strengthen their relationship as a group but also to gain recognition. However, with most journeys to fame, this came with some significant setbacks. By 2020, The Rose sued their record label due to non-payment and requested that their contract be terminated. This resulted in the label countersuing, which took a significant toll on the group, especially since they were on the rise at the time. Thankfully, they later won the lawsuit and could finally move on with their lives. Other challenges came later when it was revealed that Sammy had a previous marijuana charge on his record, which impacted the image of The Rose.

What I love about The Rose: Come Back to Me is the work ethic of all the members and how fate played a significant role in bringing them together. Their journey has been far from easy. Still, with determination, resilience, and an unspoken understanding among the four members, they overcame many hurdles that could have easily torn other bands apart. Heck, even a two-year hiatus during COVID couldn’t keep them apart, and they finally reunited again thereafter. 

The Rose: Come Back to Me follows a mostly linear narrative through the group’s rise to fame, including archived footage of their early days and live performances throughout their career, and then ends back where we started at the beginning of the documentary with their 2024 Coachella performance, which was a dream come true for them. 

Through their trials and tribulations, The Rose always had a clear vision. Not only did they want to control the music they put out into the world, but they also knew integrity was deeply ingrained in their foundation, and they wanted to stay true to it. Even though the group wished to succeed, they refused to be yes men and conform to the pressures and demands within the K-pop industry.

At the very end of The Rose: Come Back to Me, Sammy states, “We started music with a purpose and one purpose only, and that is that we believe music is healing.” This heartfelt message encapsulates the beautiful yet challenging journey the band has been on and their unwavering determination to remain true to themselves.

Even if you don’t know who The Rose is and you’re unfamiliar with their music, don’t let that stop you from seeking this documentary out. The Rose: Come Back to Me is honest, vulnerable, uplifting, and it’s worth the time investment.

The Rose: Come Back to Me was screened at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 6, 2025 and will be screened again on June 7-15.