South Korean director Lee Chang-dong’s sweeping romantic drama “Possible Love” earned a six-minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival. The film marks Lee’s first time in competition at Venice in nearly a quarter-century, following his Silver Lion win for “Oasis” in 2002.
Venice Film Festival Premiere and Reception
As the credits rolled in the Sala Grande theater, the cast started to sob and wiped away tears with napkins. Actors Jeon Do-yeon, Sul Kyung-gu, Zo In-sung, and Cho Yeo-jeong took turns hugging each other and clapping as the audience cheered. Director Lee Chang-dong and co-writer Oh Jung-mi also joined the cast in basking in the rapturous applause before being guided toward the exit at the six-minute mark.
“Possible Love” explores the intertwined lives of two married couples, according to the sources. The story follows a recently laid-off and traumatized factory worker named Ho-seok, played by Sul Kyung-gu, and his relentlessly hopeful wife Mi-ok, played by Jeon Do-yeon. Their lives intersect after a funeral with a wealthy documentary filmmaker named Ye-ji, played by Cho Yeo-jeong, and her wealthy businessman husband Sang-woo, played by Zo In-sung.
Production Background and Creative Freedom
The film represents Lee’s first feature project in eight years, following his 2018 psychological thriller “Burning.” Lee stated that the project gestated for a decade and was born out of a scandal involving mass layoffs and violent state suppression of public protests in Korea. The filmmaker initially shelved the script out of concern over whether he was worthy of telling the story of suffering laborers before deciding to examine the material through the lens of a documentary filmmaker character.
Netflix financed the project and offered to sign on immediately after reading the script. The streaming platform guaranteed the director artistic autonomy, providing him with near-perfect creative freedom throughout production. Netflix will release “Possible Love” in U.S. theaters on October 23 before launching the film globally on its streaming service on November 6, following festival stops in Venice, Toronto, and New York.
Oscar Submission and Festival Trajectory
South Korea selected “Possible Love” as its official submission for the best international feature Oscar. The film builds on Lee’s filmography, which includes critically acclaimed features such as “Green Fish,” “Peppermint Candy,” “Secret Sunshine,” and “Poetry.”
“I’m not the type of filmmaker who can make movies easily,” Lee told Variety regarding the lengthy gaps between his projects. “Before I begin a film, I must be certain of what it means — to me, to the audience, and to cinema itself. That is why ‘Possible Love’ took so long to make.”
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