LA screening: “Korean men are conditioned by oppression” — Lee Chang-dong’s ‘Possible Love’ takes aim at Oscars

Acclaimed director 'Lee Chang-dong' raised a weighty and pointed question at a special Los Angeles screening of 'Possible Love', saying, "Korean men are conditioned by a far more oppressive structure than the one in the United States." The film, which won the Grand Prix at the 83rd 'Venice International Film Festival' and earned international acclaim, drew an enthusiastic response and a standing ovation from local audiences, thanks in large part to the commanding performances of 'Seol Kyung-gu' and 'Jeon Do-yeon'.

Seol Kyung-gu’s Hoseok: A silent body in a violent world

'Seol Kyung-gu', who anchors the film, offered a deeply personal interpretation of the character. "Hoseok is a portrait of a thoroughly ordinary Korean man," he said. "He reflects my father and his generation, and in the end, he reflects me as well." Hoseok is a laid-off worker who goes from being a permanent employee at a conglomerate to suddenly finding himself out on the street after a private equity firm’s corporate raiding. As he resists injustice, he suffers deep wounds from violence by state authorities and betrayal by his colleagues.

'Seol Kyung-gu' described the character’s inner life in detail. "When emotional wounds exceed their limits, language loses its function and falls silent," he said. "Eventually, the body itself emerges as a language. Hoseok is a man who pours out, through violent gestures, the emotions embedded in his minute movements — his shrinking back, his despair and sorrow, and his anger, all tangled together."

Jeon Do-yeon’s Miok: Determined to preserve normalcy amid the abnormal

'Jeon Do-yeon' adds dimension to the film as Miok, the wife who remains at Hoseok’s side through his wounds. "Hoseok and their son Cheol each carry their own deficiencies and problems, but Miok is a woman with a fierce determination to protect her family because she firmly believes this imperfection is normal," 'Jeon Do-yeon' said. She added, "Although a desire for freedom is alive within her, when the world of her family faces the threat of collapse, her instinct to protect it becomes stronger."

On the meaning of the title 'Possible Love', which runs through the film, 'Jeon Do-yeon' said candidly, "For Miok, the possible love she is allowed is ultimately the arduous but inevitable journey of finding her way to this precarious family and the shelter of home."

The film’s lengthy 2-hour, 40-minute running time is filled not with rapid-fire dialogue but with suffocatingly quiet, sustained gazes. 'Cho Yeo-jeong' plays Yeji, a documentary filmmaker who circles the couple and records their daily lives, embodying the unrelenting gaze of an observer.

Two hours and 40 minutes of wordless gazing ask what it means to be an artist

'Lee Chang-dong' said the film’s visual perspective shifts among "Yeji’s gaze as she holds a camera, the child’s innocent gaze as he watches her, and the cold gaze of a CCTV camera looking down from above it all." Ultimately, he said, "I wanted audiences outside the screen to become aware of and reflect on their own gaze."

Rather than directly exposing the suffering of a laid-off worker, he said, he "intended a multilayered structure that passes through the lens of a documentary filmmaker and even prompts me to question my own posture as a creator." The film, he stressed, poses "a fierce question about what ethical stance an artist who deals with other people’s pain should maintain."

Local audiences attending the special Los Angeles screening responded with generous applause whenever the director offered his penetrating insights, expressing deep empathy with the film’s message across borders. After already conquering the 'Venice International Film Festival', 'Possible Love' has been confirmed as South Korea’s submission in the international feature film category at next year’s 'Academy Awards', entering the race for an Oscar in earnest.