Korean director-interview

By Lee Minji

SEOUL, Nov. 6 (Yonhap) -- "Possible Love" director Lee Chang-dong said Friday that he would give his all in the Academy Awards race despite what he described as a challenging environment for Korean films.

The film, which marks Lee's first feature film in eight years after the critically acclaimed "Burning" (2018), won the Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize at the prestigious Venice International Film Festival and has been selected as South Korea's entry for the Oscars.

"The success of 'Parasite' has caused an optical illusion, but while it is an outstanding work, that kind of success may not come again easily (for Korean films)," Lee said in a group media interview when asked about the film's Oscar prospects.

Korean director Bong Joon-ho's black comedy thriller "Parasite" (2019) made history as it became the first Korean film to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards in 2020.

"For Korean films, as well as for other Asian films and those from outside the United States and Europe, the barriers remain high," Lee said, while noting efforts by the Academy Awards to become more inclusive.

The maestro, known for his realistic yet poetic portrayal of humanism and society throughout his 30-year career as a filmmaker, still vowed to do his best for the actors and production crew of "Possible Love."

"I still need to do my best," he said. "Whether I wanted it or not, the film was picked as South Korea's submission and I need to leave open the possibility of some kind of appraisal for the actors and crew members who gave their all."

"Possible Love," starring actors Jeon Do-yeon, Sul Kyung-gu, Zo In-sung and Cho Yeo-jeong, explores themes of love and economic disparity through the intertwined lives of a laid-off worker and his spouse and a documentary maker and her wealthy husband.

Lee, a patient filmmaker who has worked on only a small number of features and one short film throughout his career, said his latest film was interestingly one of his least demanding projects to date.

Lee credited Jeon and Sul -- with whom he has worked on films including "Peppermint Candy" (1999), "Oasis" (2002) and "Secret Sunshine" (2007) -- with understanding his working style very well, saying he enjoys watching though the lens how free they are when they act.

He also credited the other two leads -- Zo and Cho -- for their efforts to liven up the mood during filming, saying the actors were helping and inspiring each other throughout.

"On a personal level, I used to be determined not to miss a single detail in the past. Now, I have become more relaxed, perhaps freer," he added.

In a rare format of release, "Possible Love" premiered at South Korean theaters on a limited basis in September and is set to roll out on Netflix later Friday.

Stressing that the size of the screen was never an important factor in his filmmaking, Lee said he eagerly looks forward to how global audiences will react to "Possible Love," which he called a very Korean story but one that captures experiences that everybody goes through.

Although noting that the film is not a typical Netflix release, given its slow pace and intricate themes, the director said he hopes audiences will take the time to fully immerse themselves in it.

Lee urged audiences that his tip for watching the film would be to stop themselves from the impulse of pressing the pause button, skipping or fast forwarding through it.

"You need to see it in your own set time. Watching a film is to experience the time within it and in that way, you can fully immerse yourself and feel so much ... even on the small screen."

(END)

[Copyright ⓒ K-VIBE. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction and redistribution are prohibited.]