The title of Lee Chang-dong’s first film in almost a decade feels somewhat misleading. Possible Love suggests a simple love story, but in reality, it delves into something far more complex. The film draws inspiration from Krzysztof Kieślowski’s Dekalog (1989) and even opens with the commandment: “Thou shalt not covet.” Yet to call this a story about envy would also be far too reductive. Instead, Possible Love is a richly nuanced character study and an understated examination of class divisions, desire, and the subtle tensions that emerge between people from vastly different circumstances.

Na Hong-jin’s fourth feature film, Hope, received polarizing reactions when it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. The response following the film’s North American premiere at the New York Asian Film Festival proved to be equally divisive. Some audience members laughed and cheered, but as I exited the theater, I overheard numerous whispers: “What was that?” and “How did that get into Cannes?” Hope feels destined to be a love-it-or-hate-it type of movie, but much to my surprise, I found myself ambivalent, caught somewhere between admiration and frustration.