UPDATE: Some updates on this one, which I’m told was submitted for Venice and will “very likely” show up in competition. The official runtime is 2 hours 44 minutes.
Much like Asghar Farhadi’s Cannes-premiered “Parallel Tales,” this is another part of producer Maciej Musiał’s new Dekalog project inspired by Kieślowski, only eight more to go.
EARLIER: It’s been a long, silent stretch since Lee Chang-dong’s “Burning” lit up Cannes back in 2018—almost eight years, to be exact. But the revered South Korean filmmaker of melancholic realism is readying his return.
He currently has “Possible Love” in post-production, starring Jeon Do-yeon, Seol Kyung-gu, and Jo In-sung. That said, you can forget a bow at Cannes, which has long been the go-to spot for the filmmaker to premiere his films. Last year, Netflix hopped onboard the project and essentially saved it after producers backed out.
Although the main cast agreed to take pay cuts to reduce the budget, the producers remained adamant about not funding the film. Once private funding couldn’t be secured, KOFIC’s financial support also disappeared, leaving Lee with little choice but to turn to Netflix for backing.
Regardless, Netflix announced today that “Possible Love” will be coming out in Q4 2026, setting up a fall bow at various festivals, including, in all likelihood, a world premiere at the Venice Film Festival in September.
The story involves “two couples whose vastly different lifestyles create unexpected intersections, leading to disruptions in their seemingly stable routines.” Those are the breadcrumbs we’ve been given for now, and I don’t expect much else to be revealed anytime soon.
Cannes and Netflix haven’t been playing nice since 2018, when the festival banned films without a French theatrical release from competing for the Palme d’Or. Cannes still offers Netflix a chance to screen its films “out of competition,” but the streamer has declined every time.
The issue? France’s strict 36-month window between theatrical and streaming — something Netflix won’t agree to. Rather than bend, Netflix pulled its films altogether, opting for Venice and TIFF instead as their go-to festivals. So unless something changes, don’t expect “Possible Love” anywhere near the Croisette next year.
Regardless, “Burning”—arguably Lee’s best—capped off a run that includes “Poetry,” “Secret Sunshine,” and “Peppermint Candy,” all critical darlings in their own right. Netflix or not, this one’s shaping up to be a major event for international cinema in 2026.
