Lee Chang-dong on his eight-year hiatus and returns with “Potential Love”

Lee Chang-dong has lastly returned to cinema.

The Korean filmmaker has been on hiatus for eight years, which he attributes to his “pathological shyness”.

“Until I’ve this conviction, I can’t drive myself to start out work, no matter exterior circumstances or what others round me say,” he says. Deadline through Zoom from his workplace in Korea, earlier than his journey to Venice, the place, this weekend, his newest movie Love attainable, a title stuffed with conviction but in addition comedy and sharp social criticism, makes its debut in Competitors.

Director Lee directed the movie from a script he co-wrote with Oh Jung-mi. The duo beforehand labored collectively on Chang-dong’s newest movie, the superb Burning (2018). The story follows two married {couples} whose lives turn out to be intertwined. There’s Mi-ok (Jeon Do-yeon), who lives a quiet life together with her husband, Ho-seok (Sul Kyung-gu), and their younger son Cheol.

Ho-seok was fired following an incident that set again his life and his potential to speak along with his household. We solely be taught what this incident was after the household meets Ye-ji (Cho Yeo-jeong), a documentary filmmaker engaged in a venture on the lives of laid-off staff, and her ultra-rich husband Sang-woo (Zo In-sung). When Mi-ok agrees to be filmed, she grows nearer to Ye-ji, creating uncomfortable friction that shakes each their houses.

Operating slightly below three hours, Love is feasible is a masterful return from Chang-dong. Under, the filmmaker, together with considered one of his main males, Sul Kyung-gu, explains why it took him almost a decade to make Love is feasible. The filmmaker says he initially deserted the venture, fearing he wasn’t probably the most acceptable messenger for a movie about labor rights. Chang-dong additionally explains why there’s a tribute to Krzysztof Kieślowski Decalogue on the finish of Love is feasibleand why he thinks so many up to date Korean filmmakers have been so profitable in interrogating the connection or, as Marxists would say, the battle between labor and capital of their work.

Netflix shall be launched Love is feasible in theaters October 23. The movie is launched on stream on November 6.

DEADLINE: Director Lee, the place did this concept come from?

LEE CHANG-DONG: A couple of years in the past in Korea, a Korean conglomerate skilled large layoffs. This resulted in an all-or-nothing strike on the employees’ aspect. There was additionally ruthless repression by the authorities. On the time, I keep in mind pondering that this may be a transformative occasion within the Korean job market. I additionally knew that this probably meant the start of a normalization of such conglomerate restructuring that may considerably change the lives of those staff. I wrote a screenplay, however on the final minute I began to surprise: am I worthy of telling a narrative like this? I imply, do I’ve the appropriate? Documentaries had already been filmed on the topic. Might I actually justify making this right into a drama movie? I could not get a transparent reply to this query, so I deserted the venture. Plenty of time handed, after which my co-writer, Oh Jung-mi, had the thought to inform this story alongside that of a documentarian. This made me suppose that I may do that venture. And that led me to revisit the venture.

DEADLINE: I went in blind, so the documentary aspect actually stunned me. What would you like individuals to remove from this side of this story?

CHANG-DONG: It is the story of everybody who makes movies, whatever the style of movie. It may be a style movie or a drama movie. As filmmakers, we take care of and symbolize individuals’s lives and, due to this fact, we’re essentially intently linked to social points. And after we face the ache of others, we should ask ourselves: Are we actually cautious to deal with them as we’d our personal, with openness and honesty? Or can we simply eat it to make our movies? This query is inseparable from work for these of us who create movies. That is why I needed to deal with this challenge and broaden it, not solely concerning creators but in addition the viewers. I hope they will replicate on their relationship with themselves and others.

DEADLINE: Sul, you will have labored with director Lee earlier than. When did you first hear about this venture?

SUL KYUNG-GU: I heard for the primary time Love is feasible final March. Director Lee and I met about two years in the past, in late 2024, and he hasn’t talked a few new venture. In reality, after we are collectively, we nonetheless usually meet followers of our earlier movie, Peppermint Candies. A couple of months after this assembly, he contacted me and instructed me about Love is feasible. On the time, I used to be perplexed as a result of I used to be already connected to a different venture, however I knew I needed to make it work. I spoke with the opposite director and begged him. Lastly they made it work for me.

The true historical past and significance of Love is feasible wasn’t even necessary to me. What was necessary to me was working with director Lee Chang-dong once more. I did not even ask to see the script. Director Lee really requested me, “Hey, you’re not even all in favour of studying the script in any respect?” After I first learn it, it seemed like a Lee Chang-dong script. It actually smelled like him. There was his scent. If you get one thing that director Lee writes, it considerations you within the sense that you just actually wish to make it work and do it properly.

DEADLINE: Director Lee, individuals have been ready to your subsequent movie for some time now. It has been virtually a decade since Burning. Do you ever really feel anxious about this anticipation?

CHANG-DONG: I keep in mind promising individuals afterwards Burning that my subsequent movie would not take as lengthy. However sadly, I could not preserve this promise. Many individuals have contacted me asking when I’ll make my subsequent movie. I believe you might virtually say it is an obsessive aspect of me, virtually a pathological shyness or one thing. However except I’ve this conviction, I can’t drive myself to start the work, no matter exterior circumstances or what others round me say.

DEADLINE: The music on this movie is fantastic. Jung Jaeil, who has beforehand labored with director Bong and Kore-eda, labored on the music. How did you’re employed collectively?

CHANG-DONG: I’ve by no means been a fan of utilizing a number of music in my movies. It is simply one thing I carry as a filmmaker. I really feel like music tends to emphasise feelings exterior of the movie, and I believe the musicality of movies ought to reside throughout the movie itself. So I shared these ideas with Jung Jaeil. I instructed him that I would love the music to be stored to a minimal whereas nonetheless conveying the construction and feelings of the movie to the viewers. He understood me completely and I actually suppose the outcomes he acquired have been excellent.

DEADLINE: There’s a tribute to Kieślowski’s Dekalog on the finish of this movie. This isn’t an adaptation of this movie collection. What’s the hyperlink?

CHANG-DONG: After I was penning this script, Kieślowski Decalogue was being tailored into a brand new venture, with totally different characteristic movies assigned to every of the collection. I used to be requested to take part within the venture. This movie has nothing to do with Decalogue one, however I assumed I may incorporate into this story the commandment that they talked about on this film: the tenth commandment, “Thou shalt not covet.” The opposite 9 commandments concern human motion. Nevertheless, the tenth commandment is about human need, so I assumed that in at present’s capitalist world, we may actually reply the query: Can we really dwell with out coveting the lives of others?

DEADLINE: You discuss concerning the capitalist world at present. Are you able to each inform me: why are so many Korean filmmakers in a position to so skillfully and powerfully tackle our relationship to labor and capital of their movies?

CHANG-DONG: That is additionally one thing that pursuits me personally. However what I can say is that this reveals how Korean society has undergone speedy financial change and improvement in current a long time. Just some a long time in the past, Korea skilled a horrible battle. We have been one of many poorest international locations on this planet, and inside a couple of a long time we achieved very speedy financial improvement. Nevertheless, we have now needed to pay a heavy social value, and I imagine that the results of this variation are deeply rooted in our society. As a part of this course of, we have now additionally skilled political change, which has led to conflicts between academia and intellectuals. All of that is engraved within the reminiscence of the Korean individuals and I believe that’s the reason we deal with these points so severely. We supply all of this with us into our on a regular basis lives.

KYUNG-GU: I agree. It’s the results of the speedy modifications our society has gone by way of and the extraordinary battle that led to them. And I believe we’ll have much more tales to inform sooner or later as properly.