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It should come as no surprise to most people that there is a remarkably large stream of films that deal directly with labor exploitation. With a generous documentary by Wang Bing youthup to Riley bootsA disgusting escape from crime I love boostersup to John EarlyIt’s funny and disturbing the secret of the web Filmmakers in many films air their feelings about work and its uncertain future. It doesn’t touch what the Dardenne brothers have been doing for over 20 years. Rosetta or Aki Kaurismak He’s been hit on the head like a hammer basically his entire career. not long ago Lee Chang-dongS possible love is one of the most poignant and stark depictions of labor exploitation and class conflict in recent years.
An uncomfortably familiar situation
South Korea recently experienced a massive economic crisis from which it has recovered, but has yet to have a positive impact on ordinary workers. Lee’s film focuses on such a family and marriage. ok (Jeon Do-yeon) and Ho-seok (Totally Kyung-gu) is a middle-class couple who find themselves in dire straits years after Ho-seok is fired from his factory job. They are not alone, however, there is a whole community of factory workers who have been laid off following a “downsizing” and potential sale to a foreign investment firm. This is a fairy tale that is becoming a reality in every industry.
Both leads perfectly portray the feelings of a marriage on the brink, which slowly leads to a rift in a sense of unbearable grief. about Maintains a stoic facade that hides a much deeper pain. His character Ho-seok in particular is haunted by this event and has become alcoholic, and his behavior and other unknown reasons alienated him from his former union co-workers. JeonHis acting is characterized by helplessness in behavior, aimless movement and downward gaze, and he never gives a particularly firm answer to anything. He immediately learns that Mi-ok is just tired of it all.
Acting tour-de-force
When the couple befriends Sang-woo (So In-sung) and Lee Ye-ji (Cho Yo-jeong) for those who are wealthy and work in white-collar jobs, class inequality is suddenly revealed. Lee Chang-dong It generally avoids creating any monologues or diatribes that directly address the film’s current socio-politics until the appropriate moment. Basically, we see the film as acting theater, and at the same time, a tour de force, Lee’s camera emphasizes facial expressions, blocking and movement in relation to each other, which evoke feelings.
We immediately notice through the voices and hesitations that Mi-ok and Ho-seok are both excited but uncomfortable with their friendship with their rich friends. Every meal and ride in their expensive car is embarrassing. Sang-woo and Mi-ok’s silent romantic chemistry is also only hinted at with subtle physicality, like the way they walk side by side on the dirt path to the beach, the way they hesitate to stay by each other’s side, and keep an awkward distance due to commitment.
conclusion
Lee Chan-dongHis latest film differs from many of his previous films in that it clears away its narrative mysteries and keeps the dynamics of the cast at the fore. There is less intrigue in this film, but it is strong in its weight as a film that undoubtedly speaks to our current world. May not have shock peppermint candy, poetry, or burningBut he replaces it with a brutal sadness that is both cathartic and fearful of the future.
Possible Love opens in US theaters on October 23rd and on Netflix on November 6th.
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