Lee Chang-dong returns to Venice with Oscar contender 'Possible Love'
Lee Chang-dong's 'Possible Love' premieres in Venice as South Korea's Oscar entry, with the director focused on audience connection over awards.
Veteran South Korean filmmaker Lee Chang-dong is back at the Venice Film Festival, this time with 'Possible Love,' a drama that has been selected as the country's official submission for the Academy Awards. The film is set to premiere at the 83rd edition of the festival on September 6, before debuting globally on Netflix on November 6.
For Lee, the return to Venice carries personal significance. He recalled his first visit to the festival over two decades ago with his 2002 film 'Oasis,' which went on to win the Silver Lion for directing. At the time, he was deeply anxious about how audiences would receive the film's challenging and controversial subject matter. To his surprise, the reception was not just warm, but fervent.
Despite the Oscar buzz surrounding 'Possible Love,' Lee downplayed the importance of international recognition. He explained that his primary motivation as a filmmaker is to communicate with audiences and encourage them to find their own answers to the questions his films raise. In that context, he views an Oscar nomination or win as a means to create more opportunities for that dialogue.
The film revolves around two married couples whose lives intersect after one of them, a documentary filmmaker, begins working on a project about laid-off workers. Actor Sul Kyung-gu plays Ho-seok, a man whose life unravels after being fired. Sul described his character as someone stripped of his purpose and standing within his household, carrying a deep sense of defeat, guilt, and unresolved trauma.
Jeon Do-yeon portrays Mi-ok, Ho-seok's wife. She described her character as fiercely strong-willed, yearning for a peaceful existence while living with the constant threat of her husband's emotional volatility. Despite the frustration, Jeon noted that Mi-ok never relinquishes hope, actively seeking a love that is possible for her and striving to protect it.
For actor Zo In-sung, who plays Sang-woo, the festival marks his first visit to Venice. He expressed sheer joy at the experience, saying that seeing the film's posters around the city fills him with an urge to proudly proclaim it as his own.