As the 62nd Chicago International Film Festival concluded last weekend, the Korean movie ‘Possible Love’ was showcased as a recommended work carrying profound political and social messages. Bill Stamets, a film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times, watched about 50 feature films and numerous shorts from this year’s submissions, ultimately selecting five political-themed works as his top recommendations.
‘Possible Love’ is directed by Lee Chang-dong and stars prominent actors such as Sol Kyung-gu, Jeon Do-yeon, Jo Yeo-jeong, and Jo In-sung. The story unfolds as a documentary filmmaker investigates a worker’s family that experienced violent suppression following a strike. The film explores labor issues and class disparities by contrasting the harsh realities faced by workers with the affluent lifestyles of the upper class.
The movie drew inspiration from the 2009 strike and violent police crackdown at a South Korean automobile manufacturing plant. By incorporating actual news footage of the clashes, it highlights how worker dismissals and union suppression deeply impact individuals and families. It also raises ethical questions for creators, such as whether a documentary filmmaker is exploiting the suffering of their subjects for artistic gain. This feature marks Lee Chang-dong’s first film in eight years since ‘Burning’ in 2018. It was invited to the competition section of the Venice International Film Festival and won the Roger Ebert Award at the Toronto International Film Festival. It is scheduled to be released on Netflix on November 6.
Recognition for Korean cinema extended to other award categories as well. Korean director Kim Yeon-woo’s short animation ‘Fingerbang’ won the Gold Hugo in the animated short competition section at this year’s festival.
This year’s Chicago International Film Festival took place from the 14th to the 25th, featuring a total of 170 films, including 113 features and 57 shorts.
Other recommended films included ‘Sawyer Avenue, Sunday Afternoon,’ an 18-minute documentary recording an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrest attempt in Chicago’s Albany Park; ‘Rehearsals for a Revolution,’ depicting Iran’s political upheaval; and ‘Let Us Through, Dear Ancestors,’ which portrays 17th-century Spanish colonial rule in the Philippines.
