Possible Love

Lee Chang-dong is back at the Barbican Centre with Possible Love, his first release in eight years. It's a Netflix production, and it runs two hours and 44 minutes, so it's a proper commitment of an afternoon or evening. If you've followed his work, you'll know him from Burning and Poetry, and this one feels like it sits right alongside them.

The story follows Mi-ok, who lives with her out-of-work husband Ho-seok and their young son. A funeral brings them into the lives of Ye-ji, a documentary filmmaker, and her affluent husband Sang-woo. When Mi-ok agrees to be filmed, an unexpected closeness with Ye-ji and an uneasy attraction to Sang-woo start to unsettle both couples. It's a drama built on those small, shifting dynamics between two marriages, and it looks closely at the social chasm between the wealthy and the working class.

Chang-dong describes the central theme as 'a desire that may itself be a form of love', and that's where the title comes from. He's always been a filmmaker who lets a scene breathe rather than rushing to the point, and this one is no different. It's a slow-burn sort of thing, more about the tension under the surface than anything loud or obvious. If you're in the mood for something that takes its time, this is it.

The film is screening at Barbican Cinema 1, Level -2, from 23 to 29 October, with a parent and baby screening on Saturday 24 October at 10:45. Standard tickets are £15.50, which includes a £1.50 transaction fee; members pay £11.20, Young Barbican is £6, and students, the unwaged, and over 65s are £12.50. Under 18s are £7.50. There's a £1.50 booking fee for online or phone transactions, but none if you book in person. The cast includes Jeon Do-yeon, Sul Kyung-gu, Cho Yeo-jeong and Zo In-sung.