Lee Chang-dong’s 'Possible Love' Debuts in Venice

Lee Chang-dong unveiled Possible Love (Ga-neung-han sa-rang), his seventh feature, in the Venice Film Festival competition. The film runs 2 hours 44 minutes and stars Jeon Do-yeon, Sul Kyung-gu, Cho Yeo-jeong and Zo In-sung. The screenplay is by Lee Chang-dong and Oh Jung-mi.

Announced as part of a series of international reinterpretations of Krzysztof Kieslowski’s Dekalog, Lee’s film departs from the source beyond sharing the tenth chapter’s focus on “Thou shalt not covet.” Critics describe Possible Love as more straightforward than Lee’s previous Burning while retaining strong emotional force.

The story follows two couples from different economic backgrounds. A blue-collar family—Ho-seok (Sul Kyung-gu), his wife Mi-ok (Jeon Do-yeon) and their 10-year-old son Cheol (Jung Seol)—are still recovering from the loss of Ho-seok’s factory job after a violent crackdown on striking workers two years earlier. The drama begins at a funeral and escalates through tensions revealed during interactions with a wealthier couple.

The other couple consists of documentarian Ye-ji (Cho Yeo-jeong) and her husband Sang-woo (Zo In-sung). Ye-ji is filming a project about shrinking workforces but gravitates toward personal histories rather than the repetitive labour itself; Sang-woo displays the confidence and generosity associated with his wealth. Their interactions with Ho-seok’s family raise ethical and class questions, which deepen during an invitation to the couple’s coastal vacation home.

Lee employs flashbacks to trace Ho-seok and Mi-ok’s relationship from youth to the present, balancing naturalistic storytelling with moments of documentary-style intensity. Critics praise the ensemble performances and the film’s handling of trauma, dignity, yearning and class envy.

Possible Love screened at Venice, Toronto and New York festivals. South Korea selected it as its submission for the International Feature category at the Oscars. The film opens in limited release Oct. 23 and streams on Netflix beginning Nov. 6.