‘Possible Love’: Lee Chang Dong’s Oscar Submission is a Masterclass in Acting and Pacing That Needs More Academy-Worthy Spark

South Korea has placed all its Oscar hopes on Lee Chang Dong’s “Possible Love” for the upcoming season. The filmmaker has long proven his mettle with projects like “Peppermint Candy,” “Oasis,” “Secret Sunshine” and “Poetry”. Now, with his latest feature, Lee once again shines a light on social stratification and the multi-layered nature of human affection.

Starring Jeon Do Yeon, Sul Kyung Gu, Zo In Sung and Cho Yeo Jeong in the lead roles, the film follows two pairs of married couples brought together by a documentary covering the aftermath of an automaker’s mass layoffs. As mutual envy begins to corrode both relationships, chaos quietly unfolds.

Lee plunges viewers straight into the narrative core, drawing stark thematic parallels between the divergent worlds of the privileged and the working class. He takes his time building up the high points of the story, a quality he has often been praised for in his past works. With “Possible Love,” he lays it all out for the audience to sit with. There are moments of humor, albeit dry, to keep the story moving and surprising in its nature, as one cannot help but let out a chuckle in disbelief.

Performance-wise, Zo sheds his typical "good boy" persona to become the menacing, often deceiving, Sang Woo. He is dismissive in his demeanor at times and intentional with the others, bringing in the contradiction to a rather bold portrayal. Sul’s Choi Ho Seok shoulders the narrative weight in the film's most emotionally heavy scenes, while Cho’s Lee Ye Ji turns in a fittingly fickle portrayal of elite entitlement.

It is Jeon as Ahn Mi Ok, the highest biller in the lineup, who pulls the project through, with her years of experience showing in every line of dialogue. She manages to keep herself afloat in each frame, excelling in emotions of envy and yearning.

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The biggest drawback of “Possible Love” is its predictability. Over the course of an almost 164-minute runtime, the film manages to pull fewer surprises than expected, which takes away from its likeability. The fault lies not in its pacing but in the storytelling which hesitates to develop further. 

Technically, the cinematography is one of the strongest assets that keep the film interesting and engaging for the viewer. With up-close and personal shots, there are moments that keep the audience hooked and excited for more. He maintains a steady visual crescendo throughout, with the sound score taking a back seat for the most part.

Historically, the Academy has rarely favored Korean cinema, with Bong Joon-ho’s double triumph for "Parasite" (2019) and Lee Isaac Chung's "Minari" (2020) remaining notable exceptions.

The Academy has seldom been fond of Korean films, except when Bong Joon Ho’s “Parasite” wowed at the Oscars in 2019, followed by Lee Isaac Chung's “Minari” (2020) and Park Chan Wook’s “Decision to Leave” (2022). With the latest attempt by Chang Dong, who has tasted shortlisting success of his own, there’s a lot that falls into place. But whether that’s enough to convince the voters remains to be seen.

The current Oscar favorites appear to be Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey,” the queer romance “La Bola Negra,” and the docu-film “You Can See Everything,” which has earned audience favor in recent weeks.

"Possible Love" is streaming on Netflix.