Possible Love (2026) Review
In a world of Artificial Intellegence and dilution of art, Lee Chang Dong stands proudly as the soul of cinema. A master at showcasing the sublime human experience. An experience that is quite often forgotten, the subtle and hidden. Emotions that could never be conveyed if churned out by corporate executives trying to make money. No, Lee Chang Dong is able to tap into a deep place of humanity. One that burrows its way into the spirit of every person watching his films. It is difficult to put into words, it is something that must be experienced. I am aware of my implicit bias towards Lee. He is, and has been, my favorite director for the past 13 years. With Secret Sunshine being my favorite movie of all time. So you could only imagine my excitement seeing Lee teaming up with Jeon Do Yeon again, as well Sul Kyung-Gu who he worked on with Peppermint Candy and Oasis. Although I went in knowing I was about to have a transcendental experience, I did not realize how much I actually needed it. A light was relit in me, so much so that it made me sit down and actually write this review on my blog. Something I have neglected for so long. Yet Lee is able to tap into something that no other director has been able to, a raw feeling that encompasses your entire being, lingering for days after finishing his films.
Possible Love is a story of conflict and struggle. The struggle of laid of workers. The struggle of the aftermath. Most importantly, it is the paralleled struggle of the ethics of documenting such struggles. One that is shared by Yeji and Lee alike. Lee’s dilemma is that he yearns to tell this story, yet battles with the ethics of being in a place of high societal distinction while also wanting to empathize and showcase the struggles of the working class. It is a grave conundrum, in which Lee solved by injecting the characters of Yeji and Sangwoo into the film, a mirror image of how Lee views himself making Possible Love. Whether intentional or not, this quandry reminds me so vividly of a book by Clarice Lispector called “The Hour of the Star”. In which Lispector injects herself into a character of a wealthy writer trying to document the life of a poor oprhan. The parallels are unmatched, and I highly recommend checking out the book if you enjoyed this film. The most important distinction to draw between the two pieces of media is the way both authors iterrogate themselves through the character. By holding the mirror to themselves, they expose the ugliness of what they are doing, and in a twisted way justifies the end result. Whether that is true or not rests in the hands of the audience as well. Regardless, Lee brilliantly uses the character of Yeji as a vessel of this dilemma.
However at the heart of the story lies Mi-ok and Ho-seok. A couple who have been battling the aftermath of a sudden takeover and restructuring of a company that was the lifeblood of the family. In South Korea, a job at a reputable company means everything, not only for you but for the people who rely on you. Lee was able to devestatingly showcase the effect of cutting off that lifeline. This was further elevated but the absolute brutal and heartwrenching performances by both Jeon Do Yeon and Sul Kyung Gu. While I am absolutely over the moon that Jeon Do Yeon is getting renewed attention for her masterful performance. I wanted to turn our attention to Sul Kyung Gu, who gave a generational performance as well. Simple looks and movements really bring this film to another level, and its clear that Lee is able to extract that exact feeling from his actors. The scene where he follows his ex-colleague to the restaurant was one of the gut wrenching scenes I have witnessed in a long time, and Kyung-Gu managed to knock it out of the park. While Lee provided the vessel for the emotional core to flourish, it was Jeon Do Yeon and Sul Kyung Gu who filled that vessel with just the right amount of feelings to fully lock in the film’s essence.
Possible Love, clocking in at nearly three hours manages to cram so much into so little. A simple scene of a child spraying water has so much meaning and depth. Lee focuses the camera at Mi-ok and lets it linger just enough for us to feel how she felt. We, the audience, are able to go through that experience with her. The sound of the droplets trickling on the pavement, the smell it brings, and the refracting light that produces a rainbow all feel so vivid. This film is full of those moments. Furthermore, Lee was not only able to vividly express emotions through image, but also through the subtleties of his characters. The theme of fragile masculinity was prevelant with Ho-Seok. A devestating look into the struggles of modern men. As well as the obvious inequalities faed by average workers throughout the world.
Possible Love is special. Lee Chang Dong is special. Jeon Do Yeon is special. Sul Kyung Gu is special. Every person who worked on this project is special. It is a film that is seemingly so simple yet so dense in its execution. It contains a treasure trove of emotions and feelings that unlock an experience like no other. In a world that seems so bleak and cold, Lee is able to inject some warmth into this world. As a filmmaker who is known for exploring the difficult and uncomfortable side of being a human. I find it oddly poetic that Lee decided to conclude Possible Love on a hopeful note. As Mi-ok and Ho-Seok look up into the night sky and view that full moon. They are whipped back to a time of innocence and hope. The hope lives, up in the moon, where they could have found it all along, they just needed to look up. Possible Love is a triumph in the indescribable. A flicker of hope in a dark and cruel world. Hope not for what is portrayed in the film. Hope that art is alive and well. Art is able to dig deep into peoples soul. To have me get up and type this review even if no one will read it. It is a feeling that is incomparable. One that I am finding difficult to put into words. So why am I trying to put it into words? Because my heart is full of emotions. Lee has filled it up and I must also release it into the world. Oh how I long for another film from him already. Yet even if it takes another 8 years or more, I will be eagerly waiting. Patient for the day that Lee is able to fill my soul again with all of the emotions, and make me feel human.
