Some directors make films often, others make them rarely but leave a mark every time. Lee Chang-dong firmly belongs to the second group. His last feature, Burning, came out eight years ago and still sparks debates about what really happened in it. Now his new film, Possible Love, is about to reach a global audience on Netflix this Friday, November 6.
The festival buzz has been loud. The drama won the Silver Lion at Venice and travelled on to Toronto and New York, collecting enthusiastic reviews along the way. That kind of praise can set expectations sky high, so it helps to know what kind of film this is. It is not a thriller and not a glossy romance. It is a patient, character-driven story about two marriages that collide.
One couple is working class: a welder who lost his job after mass layoffs and a wife who keeps the family afloat with factory work. The other couple is wealthy, led by an ambitious documentary maker who wants to film people she calls invisible. When she chooses the first couple as the heart of her project, the camera starts to change everyone it points at. Jeon Do-yeon, Sul Kyung-gu, Cho Yeo-jeong and Zo In-sung lead the cast.
For more on the plot, the cast and what critics have said so far, this Possible Love streaming preview is a handy place to start.
In our directory, this is the pick for viewers who like slow-burning drama with something to say about class, work and the ethics of storytelling. Give it a quiet evening, switch off your phone and let the film unfold at its own pace. Lee rarely offers easy answers, and that is exactly why his films stay with you long after the credits roll.
