Possible Love cinematographer unpacks handheld, natural-light shoot at Busan

The man behind the camera on Possible Love has explained how the film was shot almost entirely handheld, chasing natural light.

Cinematographer Kim Ji-yong, whose earlier credits include Decision to Leave and Squid Game Season 2, spoke in a masterclass titled "Cinematography of Possible Love: Quiet, Yet Deeper" at Netflix's Creative Asia programme during the Busan International Film Festival, Variety reported.

The film is director Lee Chang-dong's first in eight years. It won the Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize, the second prize at Venice, and is South Korea's submission for the international feature Oscar.

It is a relationship drama about two married couples. Jeon Do-yeon plays Mi-ok, Sul Kyung-gu plays Ho-seok, Cho Yeo-jeong plays Ye-ji and Zo In-sung plays Sang-woo. The script was co-written by Lee and Oh Jung-mi, and follows the intertwined lives of the couples, including a laid-off factory worker, Variety reported.

Kim said the team worked with a single camera, carried by hand for almost the whole shoot. Only two dialogue scenes broke the rule. The aim was a quiet, observational look built around available daylight rather than heavy lighting setups.

That choice shaped the locations. Lee found the site for Sang-woo's vacation home on a real estate YouTube channel, and the production then built the house during two months of pre-production to control the light and the space around it.

The wind was handmade. For the forest-by-the-beach climax, crew members tied ropes to trees and shook them to create movement in the leaves.

What makes this stand out for viewers is how little machinery sits between the actors and the lens. One camera, small moves, real light. It leaves nowhere to hide.

The inspiration for the story came from a scandal of mass layoffs and their aftermath in Korea, The Hollywood Reporter reported. The edit, the final assembly of picture and sound, was by Kim Da-won, according to the Biennale.

Possible Love screens in the Icons section at Busan, a showcase for major recent festival titles. It opened in Korean theatres on Sept. 23, with a select theatrical release in Australia on Oct. 22 and select theatrical releases in the U.S., Canada and the U.K., Variety reported, ahead of its Netflix launch on Nov. 6.