Lee Chang-dong's Burning premiered at Cannes in 2018 to universal critical acclaim. Since then, nothing. His new film, Possible Love (Korean: Ga-neung-han sa-rang), has entered competition at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival, running September 2 to 12. It is one of the most anticipated directorial returns in contemporary world cinema.
The film follows two married couples who cross paths: a laid-off worker and his wife, and a documentary filmmaker and her spouse. The ensemble includes Jeon Do-yeon, Sul Kyung-gu, Zo In-sung, and Cho Yeo-jeong. Chang-dong co-wrote the screenplay with Oh Jung-mi, his collaborator on Burning. According to Deadline, Netflix has acquired the film for an awards-qualifying theatrical run beginning October 23, followed by global streaming on November 6.
Possible Love will also screen at TIFF, where Chang-dong is set to receive the Ebert Director Award at the Tribute Awards ceremony on September 13.
A stacked competition
The 83rd Venice Main Competition is as dense as any in recent memory. Martin McDonagh's Wild Horse Nine stars John Malkovich, Sam Rockwell, Steve Buscemi, and Tom Waits. Werner Herzog's Bucking Fastard features Rooney Mara and Kate Mara. Florian Zeller's Bunker pairs Javier Bardem with Penélope Cruz. Hirokazu Kore-eda brings a live-action adaptation of the manga Look Back. Casey Affleck makes his directing debut in competition with Company.
Maggie Gyllenhaal presides over the jury, joined by Kaouther Ben Hania, Daniel Blumberg, Francesco Casetti, Xavier Giannoli, Shahrbanoo Sadat, and Johnnie To. Danny Boyle's Ink, about Rupert Murdoch's acquisition of The Sun and starring Guy Pearce as Murdoch and Jack O'Connell as editor Larry Lamb, opens the festival on September 2. George Clooney and Ellen Burstyn each receive an Honorary Golden Lion for lifetime achievement.
What Chang-dong does with eight years of distance from his last film is the question Venice will begin to answer in September.
