The 83rd Venice International Film Festival is officially underway, and all eyes in the global film community are fixed on a single title: Possible Love (가능한 사랑), the eagerly anticipated new feature by master auteur Lee Chang-dong. Marking his return to the director’s chair eight years after his critically acclaimed masterpiece Burning (2018), this project has officially been selected for the main competition, vying directly for the prestigious Golden Lion.
A Master’s Return: Who is Lee Chang-dong?
For readers unfamiliar with his remarkable career, Lee is widely regarded as one of South Korea’s most profound and respected filmmakers. Before transitioning to cinema in his mid-forties, he established himself as a prominent novelist and high school literature teacher.
This literary background deeply influences his cinematic style. Rather than relying on flashy technical gimmicks or sensational plot devices, Lee’s films explore the hidden psychological depths, quiet grief, and moral complexities of ordinary people caught in the turbulent currents of modern society. His illustrious career is decorated with major international accolades:
- Venice International Film Festival: Won the Silver Lion (Best Director) for Oasis in 2002.
- Cannes Film Festival: Won Best Screenplay for Poetry in 2010.
- Public Service: His intellectual and cultural influence extended beyond filmmaking when he served as South Korea’s Minister of Culture and Tourism from 2003 to 2004.
What is Possible Love About?
At its core, Possible Love is a deeply intimate yet structurally ambitious drama that examines human desire and class friction. The story follows two contrasting couples who cross paths during a documentary shoot:
- The First Couple: Hoseok (Sol Kyung-gu), a dismissed factory worker struggling with the aftermath of his termination, and his wife Miok (Jeon Do-yeon).
- The Second Couple: Yeji (Jo Yeo-jeong), an affluent documentary filmmaker, and her husband Sang-woo (Jo In-sung).
When these worlds collide at a coastal villa, the narrative unmasks their hidden vulnerabilities, unspoken desires, and the quiet fractures hidden beneath everyday routines.
A Historic Reunion: Jeon Do-yeon and Lee Chang-dong
One of the most exciting aspects of this project is the reunion between Lee and Jeon Do-yeon, marking their first feature film collaboration in roughly two decades since Secret Sunshine (2007)—the landmark film that earned Jeon her historic Best Actress award at Cannes.
Reflecting on their past collaborations, Jeon has often spoken about how intense and demanding Lee’s directing style was, noting that it pushed her to her absolute limits as an actor. However, for Possible Love, the dynamic shifted. Years of mutual trust allowed them to work with a deep, comforting sense of ease on set. Interestingly, early seeds of this script were planted over a decade ago, with Jeon and Sol Kyung-gu always envisioned in the lead roles—making the eventual realization of this project a deeply meaningful fulfillment of a long-held vision.
Global Expectations and Release Strategy
Beyond its competition slot at Venice, Possible Love is building massive international momentum, earning invitations to major global showcases like the Toronto International Film Festival and the New York Film Festival.
Distributed via Netflix, the film is adopting a thoughtful hybrid rollout: it will premiere exclusively in South Korean theaters on September 23, allowing local audiences to experience its cinematic scope on the big screen, before becoming globally available on Netflix on November 6.
With a powerhouse cast—Jeon Do-yeon, Sol Kyung-gu, Jo In-sung, and Jo Yeo-jeong—and the visionary touch of a true cinematic master, Possible Love is shaping up to be one of the defining cinematic events of the year.
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