Lee Chang-dong’s “Possible Love” earns six-minute ovation and rave reviews in Venice

Lee Chang-dong’s “Possible Love” left its Venice premiere to a six-minute standing ovation, with cast members reportedly embracing and crying as the Sala Grande audience applauded. The film had its world premiere in the competition section of the 83rd Venice International Film Festival.

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Breathtaking, novelistic masterpiece.

The international reviews were equally enthusiastic. The Guardian awarded the film four stars, praising its delicate direction, beautiful performances and novelistic atmosphere. IndieWire gave it an A and called it a “breathtaking, novelistic masterpiece” from one of contemporary cinema’s most literary masters. Time described it as a delicate drama about love and longing in an uneasy era.

Variety called the film an “enchanting drama of relationships, beautiful and mature, quiet yet vast.” Deadline praised the four lead actors for bringing Lee’s vision to the screen, along with the film’s visual beauty and timely message. Screen Daily International said the director had created another unsettling and enigmatic exploration of class and desire after “Burning.”

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An enchanting drama of relationships, beautiful and mature, quiet yet vast.

The film follows two couples. Ho-seok, a worker dismissed after a strike, lives with anger rooted in memories of frustration. Mi-ok, a factory worker, struggles to hold their family together. A filmmaker, Ye-ji, and her wealthy fund-manager husband, Sang-woo, plan to document the first couple. Local media said the contrasting couples allow the film to examine class while also presenting the possibility of recovery and change in relationships, rather than a simple binary.

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I felt that our lives had changed rapidly during that time and that the nature of human relationships was changing. I kept wondering whether cinema could still connect people, and I discussed these concerns deeply with writer Oh Jung-mi as we worked on the film.

At a press conference, Lee said eight years had passed since “Burning” was invited to Venice and that he had felt life changing rapidly during that time. He said he had worked closely with writer Oh Jung-mi to reflect on a changing world and the nature of human relationships. Asked about the role of storytellers, he identified Ye-ji as the character closest to his own identity because she constantly questions how she should regard the people she films. “I wanted to put these questions into the film and think about them together with the audience,” Lee said. The Golden Lion winner was due to be announced at the festival’s closing ceremony on Sept. 12.

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I wanted to put these questions into the film and think about them together with the audience.