Korean auteur Lee Chang-dong has returned to the Venice Film Festival with Possible Love, his first feature since Burning in 2018, earning a seven-minute standing ovation following its world premiere at the Sala Grande on Sunday.
The drama, which is competing for the Golden Lion, was met with an emotional response from its cast. Jeon Do-yeon, Sul Kyung-gu, Zo In-sung and Cho Yeo-jeong were reportedly in tears as applause filled the theatre, with each actor turning to applaud Lee. The ovation was still underway when festival staff ended it to prepare for the next screening.
Possible Love reunites Lee with Jeon, who won Cannes’ Best Actress award for Secret Sunshine in 2007, and Sul, who starred in the director’s earlier films Peppermint Candy and Oasis. The ensemble also includes Zo, known for Hope and Moving, and Cho, recognised internationally for Parasite.
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The film follows two married couples on opposite sides of a stark class divide. Ho-seok, played by Sul, is a former factory worker still affected by the loss of his job after a labour strike. He lives with his optimistic wife Mi-ok, played by Jeon.
Their lives intersect with aspiring documentary filmmaker Ye-ji, played by Cho, who is developing a project about displaced workers, and her wealthy husband Sang-woo, played by Zo. As Ye-ji grows interested in telling Ho-seok’s story and forms a tentative friendship with Mi-ok, tensions emerge around class, ambition and desire.
Lee co-wrote Possible Love with Oh Jung-mi, his Burning collaborator. The film’s creative team also includes cinematographer Kim Ji-yong, whose credits include Decision to Leave and Squid Game, and composer Jung Jae-il, known for Parasite and Squid Game.
Netflix fully financed and produced Possible Love, marking a notable collaboration for the filmmaker and streamer. The platform is positioning the title as a major awards contender in 2026, after South Korea selected it as the country’s submission for the Best International Feature Oscar.
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The Korean Film Council praised Lee’s craftsmanship as well as the film’s layered characters and relationships. Possible Love is Lee’s fourth film selected to represent South Korea at the Academy Awards, following Oasis, Secret Sunshine and Burning.
After Venice, Possible Love will screen at Toronto, New York, San Sebastián, Zurich, Vancouver and Busan. It opens in South Korean cinemas on Sept. 23, followed by Australia on Oct. 22, before releases in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Ireland and Japan on Oct. 2. Netflix will launch the film globally on Nov. 6.
