Director Lee Chang-dong: "A story asking what kind of possible love exists"

Director Lee Chang-dong poses questions about the essence of love through his new film 'Impossible Love'. According to the making-of video released by Netflix Korea, Director Lee explained that this work is a story asking what kind of love is possible and what that 'possible love' signifies.

Mass layoffs and cinematic motifs revealed by Director Lee Chang-dong

Director Lee Chang-dong stated that the starting point of this film lies in a large-scale mass layoff and collective layoff by a major corporation, as well as a general strike involving forced suppression by public power, which caused a great shock to South Korean society over a decade ago. The director noted that labor issues bring decisive changes to human lives, and through the idea of combining this with the story of a documentary director, he conceived a work that contains not just the story of workers, but also the story of the person making the film.

The director defined the meaning of the work based on three criteria. He stated that he primarily considers whether it is meaningful to himself, whether it is meaningful to the audience, and whether it is cinematically meaningful. In particular, regarding the title 'Impossible Love', he explained that while most love stories deal with 'impossible love' that is difficult to achieve, this film differs in that it asks what kind of love is possible.

Jeon Do-yeon, Sul Kyung Gu, Zo In-sung, and Cho Yeo-jeong: Actors following the inner selves of the characters

The film features Jeon Do-yeon, Sul Kyung Gu, Zo In-sung, and Cho Yeo-jeong, portraying two couples living different lives. In the video, the cast shared their thoughts upon encountering the scenario and their interpretations of the characters.

Actress Jeon Do-yeon described her character 'Mi-ok' as a typical ordinary person who nonetheless possesses strong vitality. She depicted her as a character who lives with anxiety due to her husband's wounds but does not give up on him until the end. Actor Sul Kyung Gu stated that he tried to understand the inner darkness and various emotions of the character 'Ho-seok' through his body. The two actors shared that despite it being their first collaboration in a long time, they communicated well without many words.

Cho Yeo-jeong defined the documentary director 'Ye-ji' as an intellectual character who can only be acted by understanding through the body. Zo In-sung, playing 'Sang-woo' from the capitalist class, sought to express a human character whose consideration for others is ingrained. Zo In-sung mentioned that he will show a new charm through the character living in front of the camera.

'Impossible Love', invited to international film festivals, scheduled for release on November 6

The film 'Impossible Love' has already gained recognition for its quality through official invitations to prestigious international film festivals, including the Venice International Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, New York Film Festival, San Sebastián International Film Festival, Zurich Film Festival, Vancouver International Film Festival, and BFI London Film Festival. Expectations are rising that audiences will feel various emotions, such as the sense of heterogeneity and compassion that arises when two couples living different lives meet.

Director Lee Chang-dong expressed his hope that through this work, audiences can experience a certain feeling that cannot be obtained elsewhere through film. The film 'Impossible Love' is scheduled to be released worldwide through Netflix on November 6.