Director Lee Chang-dong shared that his new film "Possible Love" captures his reflections on cinema, the essence of the world, and questions about human relationships.
Attending the official press conference for "Possible Love" (directed by Lee Chang-dong), an invited work in the competition section of the 83rd Venice International Film Festival held at 12:40 PM (local time) on the 6th, Director Lee discussed the process of releasing a new film after 8 years and the message he sought to convey.
Asked about his return after 8 years since "Burning" and any resulting changes, Director Lee answered, "There was the COVID-19 period, and a time when people could not visit theaters because of it. Furthermore, I thought that human relationships themselves are changing fundamentally. Amidst that, I pondered essentially on what kind of power film holds, and whether film can still connect people with people."
He continued, "I talked deeply about that issue with writer Oh Jung-mi (her second screenwriting project following 'Burning') as well, and thought about what kind of films we could make. 'Possible Love' contains our contemplation and questions regarding cinema, the essence of the world we live in, and fundamentally changing human relationships."
To the question, "What do you think is the role of a storyteller in an era where film and journalism are called a so-called 'dying industry'?", he responded by bringing up a character from the film.
Director Lee mentioned the documentary director "Yeji" played by Cho Yeo-jeong in the film, starting by saying, "As someone who makes films, she is the figure closest to my own identity."
He then introduced her, saying, "Yeji is a character who constantly questions her attitude toward filmmaking, what her mindset should be when filming those who become her subjects, and what her relationship with them should be."
Director Lee stated, "Ever since I was young, when dealing with other people's stories—whether the subjects were workers, minorities, or students—I have asked myself how close I am to them and how much I am writing from their perspective. That question has never left me. This can apply not only to documentary directors or journalists, but to everyone involved in narratives who delivers other people's stories. Even though our role in this era feels increasingly diminished and we seem to lose meaning in our work, I think this connects to the fundamental question of all workers: 'How must we survive and find our identity?'"
"Possible Love" depicts a story where two couples—a laid-off worker and his wife, alongside a documentary director and her husband—meet to produce a documentary and confront each other's different lives and hidden desires. It is Director Lee Chang-dong's new work released 8 years after "Burning" (2018), and features a reunion with his personas Sul Kyung-gu and Jeon Do-yeon, while working for the first time with Cho Yeo-jeong and Zo In-sung.
As Director Lee's first Netflix film, "Possible Love" has also been selected as South Korea's entry for the 99th Academy Awards. It will be pre-released ahead of its theatrical opening on September 23, and then meet global audiences via Netflix on November 6.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kim Ji-hye)