Directed by Lee Chang-dong (Burning), his newest feature film Possible Love is set to premiere on Netflix next week, with the latest trailer released last week.
Possible Love will be released on Netflix on November 6. Directed by Lee Chang-dong, Venice Film Festival Silver Lion for Best Director winner for Oasis, the film stars Cannes Film Festival Best Actress winner Jeon Do-yeon (Secret Sunshine) and three-time Blue Dragon Film Award Best Actor winner Sul Kyung-gu (The Book of Fish) as a married couple, alongside Baeksang Arts Award Best Actor winner Zo In-sung (Something Happened in Bali) and Blue Dragon Film Award Best Actress winner Cho Yeo-jeong (Parasite) as another married couple. Additionally, Jung Jae-il, who won a Grand Bell Award for Parasite, serves as the film's music composer.
Every couple wants to find some sense of happiness. For Ho-seok (Sul Kyung-gu) and Mi-ok (Jeon Do-yeon) the hope is to move on from the trauma caused by the disastrous outcome of a labour dispute. When they are approached by young, ambitious documentary filmmaker Ye-ji (Cho Yeo-jeong) to take part in her latest project, they become intimately intertwined with her and her business mogul husband, Sang-woo (Zo In-sung).
Revelations of interpersonal suffering come to light — both in front of and behind the camera — as the documentary develops, and tensions between the couples start to rise. Questions are asked around who gets to tell whose story, who speaks for whom, and what responsibilities observers have when taking on the perspective of the disenfranchised. As the lives of Ye-ji, Mi-ok, Sang-woo, and Ho-seok become increasingly entangled, tensions mount.
Lee Chang-dong is considered one of the most influential South Korean directors in international cinema today. His early films, including Green Fish, Peppermint Candy, and Secret Sunshine, won him major Korean film awards for Best Director and Best Screenplay. He later won the Venice Film Festival's Silver Lion for Best Director for Oasis and Best Screenplay at the Cannes Film Festival for Poetry. His last two films, Poetry and Burning, both won the Grand Bell Award for Best Film. This year, Burning was ranked 40th on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 100 best films of the 21st century.
Production still of Possible Love.
Having screened the film at last month's Toronto International Film Festival, I considers it to be the finest film released so far this year. Framed around the making of a documentary, the camera remains an observational witness for much of the runtime, documenting the filmmaking process and the evolving dynamics among the four main characters. Periodically, however, the perspective shifts directly into the lens of the documentary camera to capture intimate monologues from Mi-ok. Looking straight into the frame, she shares her inner thoughts and emotions in a manner that feels remarkably personal and unfiltered.
This approach succeeds largely due to the deeply resonant performances of Jeon Do-yeon and Sul Kyung-gu. Serving as the emotional anchor of the film, Jeon delivers a subtle and moving portrayal that shifts sharply depending on whether she is on or off camera. Sul, playing the quiet and traumatized Ho-seok, relies on restrained facial expressions, heavy gazes, and subtle physical posture rather than heavy dialogue to communicate profound grief—leading up to a staggering emotional release in the film's climax.
The narrative pits two married couples against one another: working-class partners Ho-seok and Mi-ok, and upper-middle-class couple Ye-ji (a documentary filmmaker) and Sang-woo (a corporate mogul). Their stark differences in lifestyle, profession, and attire serve as a backdrop for a nuanced exploration of class dynamics. Ye-ji proves to be a particularly compelling character; living in luxury thanks to her husband's success, she attempts to foster close ties with her working-class subjects. Believing she can easily blend into their world, she remains oblivious to her own intrusive posture. Her friendship with Mi-ok raises thought-provoking ethical questions: Is she seeking a genuine human connection, or is she cultivating a comfortable environment purely for the sake of her documentary? Is Mi-ok a true friend, or merely a subject to be captured on camera? As the four characters become increasingly entangled, these delicate boundary lines create a deeply compelling narrative.
At its core, the film is a study of marital relationships. Ho-seok initially retreats into isolation due to past trauma, creating a rift between himself and Mi-ok. Yet, once he opens up, the two begin to reach a point of mutual understanding and reconciliation. Conversely, Ye-ji and Sang-woo begin as a seemingly harmonious and transparent couple, only for hidden secrets to drive a quiet wedge between them by the film's conclusion. Lee Chang-dong’s screenplay is exquisitely crafted, offering both a rigorous critique of class power dynamics and an intimate, emotionally devastating character study.
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Photo and Source: Netflix