'Burning' filmmaker Lee Chang-dong returns after a long hiatus with 'Possible Love' for Netflix
The relationship drama will have its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival, followed by its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2026
Eight years after his critically acclaimed "Burning", South Korean filmmaker Lee Chang-dong is back with "Possible Love", a relationship drama he co-wrote with the former film's co-writer Oh Jung-mi. The film comes with the strong backing of Netflix, which is putting the film out on the festival
Eight years after his critically acclaimed "Burning", South Korean filmmaker Lee Chang-dong is back with "Possible Love", a relationship drama he co-wrote with the former film's co-writer Oh Jung-mi. The film comes with the strong backing of Netflix, which is putting the film out on the festival
Eight years after his critically acclaimed "Burning", South Korean filmmaker Lee Chang-dong is back with "Possible Love", a relationship drama he co-wrote with the former film's co-writer Oh Jung-mi. The film comes with the strong backing of Netflix, which is putting the film out on the festival
Eight years after his critically acclaimed "Burning", South Korean filmmaker Lee Chang-dong is back with "Possible Love", a relationship drama he co-wrote with the former film's co-writer Oh Jung-mi. The film comes with the strong backing of Netflix, which is putting the film out on the festival circuit before its global premiere on November 6, 2026.
It will have its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival, in competition, followed by the North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2026. The team is also aiming for a limited theatrical release on September 23, followed by shows in select theatres in the U.S., Canada, U.K., and other regions on October 23.
The 164-minute feature delves deep into emotional entanglements, class divisions, and marital relationships. The narrative swirls around two married couples leading vastly different lives whose worlds suddenly collide due to a documentary project: Mi-ok and Ho-seok are a couple living a quiet, modest life after the latter is laid off from his job. On the other side are Ye-ji and Sang-woo, an affluent couple; Ye-ji is a documentary filmmaker exploring the struggles of displaced, laid-off workers. When Mi-ok agrees to be filmed for Ye-ji's project, the two women develop a close bond. However, complications arise as Mi-ok finds herself unexpectedly drawn to Ye-ji's husband, Sang-woo. As the boundaries between both couples blur, hidden desires, repressed emotions, and deep-seated marital fractures begin to surface.
On the eight-year-long delay, Lee shared in an official statement that he is “not the type of filmmaker who can make movies easily” and that before he begins a project, he must be "certain of what it means — to me, to the audience, and to cinema itself.”
An ensemble of top-tier South Korean talent populate the film, which reunites the director with some prominent actors from his earlier films: Jeon Do-yeon as Mi-ok (Best Actress winner at Cannes for Lee's 2007 film "Secret Sunshine"). Sul Kyung-gu as Ho-seok (the lead of Lee's earlier masterworks "Peppermint Candy" and "Oasis"). Zo In-sung as Sang-woo. Cho Yeo-jeong as Ye-ji (best known globally for her role in Bong Joon Ho's "Parasite").