Documentary filmmakers have to walk an incredibly fine line between honestly portraying their subjects and exploiting their circumstances. There have been countless cases where filmmakers have exploited a situation for personal gain, while others have shied away from honestly confronting the complexities of their subject matter. But what happens when a filmmaker finds themselves caught in that gray area, where hidden desires, wealth inequality, and the realities of living vastly different lives begin to blur the line between honest filmmaking and exploitation? Look no further than Lee Chang-dong’s latest masterpiece, Possible Love.
Possible Love follows the story of two married couples. The first couple, Mi-ok (Jeon Do-yeon, The Contract) and Ho-seok (Sul Kyung-gu, Subway Line 1) have hit a rough patch. Ho-seok was recently laid-off in an incredibly violent manner that landed him in the hospital for several weeks with his pride and dignity broken. While Mi-ok spends her days supporting her family however she can as she spends hours working in a small mask factory. Their marriage is on the rocks as they don’t know what lies ahead in their future.
That changes when they meet documentary filmmaker Ye-ji (Cho Yeo-jeong, Parasite) and her incredibly wealthy husband Sang-woo (Zo In-sung, Hope). Ye-ji wants to make a documentary about the declining state of workers rights and the violent methods corporations use to keep workers at bay. She specifically focuses on the recent and violent layoff of workers from metals manufacturer, SP Heavy Industries. The very same company that Ho-seok was laid-off by.
At first Mi-ok was incredibly interested in participating in the documentary as it will not only allow her to tell what happened to all of the workers at SP Heavy Industries but it may finally allow her husband to finally process his trauma and bounce back into becoming the man she fell in love with in the first place. But as the making of the documentary continues, hidden tensions and desires begin to brew between the two couples till it eventually explodes.
Ye-ji inserts herself into the blue-collar world that Mi-ok and Ho-seok navigate every day. She constantly visits their small home, stops by their workplace, and records nearly every aspect of their daily lives. During these visits, she arrives dressed in the latest luxury brands, carrying designer handbags, wearing expensive jewelry, and driving a luxury car. She attempts to present herself as one of them, but fails to recognize that her displays of wealth are slowly breeding resentment. This tension becomes even more pronounced when she invites Mi-ok and Ho-seok to Sang-woo’s beach mansion on Korea’s west coast. What Ye-ji believes is a kind and generous gesture instead becomes another reminder of the enormous economic divide between them, fueling feelings of envy and jealousy.
This is where Possible Love truly operates. The film explores wealth and socioeconomic inequality through seemingly simple gestures that distinguish the haves from the have-nots. These gestures can be grand, such as inviting someone into a home staffed by servants or driving them around in a luxury car. But they can also be as subtle as a glance, an interview, or a seemingly harmless comment. Regardless of their size, these moments gradually build tension between the two couples. That tension is fueled by envy, empathy, power, and the underlying desire to have more out of life.
Lee Chang-dong’s filmmaking is incredibly subtle as he explores the hidden conflicts between these two couples. Utilizing long takes and naturalistic cinematography, he allows the tension to simmer beneath the surface as we follow these characters through their daily lives and watch them make this documentary. Watching these characters confront their own motivations and hidden desires is utterly captivating. The entire ensemble is outstanding, with Jeon Do-yeon standing out in particular. She perfectly captures a sense of primal rage while balancing it with empathy and understanding as the documentary’s production gradually begins to unravel not only her life, but the lives of those around her.
Possible Love is ultimately a fascinating examination of what happens when the desire to understand someone’s life becomes intertwined with the desire to possess it. Lee Chang-dong doesn’t give us easy answers about who is right or wrong. Instead he is allowing the tension between these characters to slowly build until the line between empathy and exploitation becomes almost impossible to see. The documentary becomes a mirror, revealing not only the lives of Mi-ok and Ho-seok, but also the insecurities, desires, and resentments of everyone involved. It is a film about class, jealousy, and the complicated ways we view people who have more or less than we do. Most importantly, Possible Love understands that sometimes the most damaging gestures are not made with malicious intent, but come from people who genuinely believe they are doing the right thing.
My Rating: A
Possible Love comes to theatres Oct. 23rd and releases on Netflix Nov. 6th.
Possible Love had its North American Premiere at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival.
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