Jo In-sung, Irreplaceable: The Reason Behind the Love Calls from Film Masters

*This content was translated by AI.

Actor Jo In-sung has expanded his acting spectrum in director Lee Chang-dong's new film "Possible Love."

Jo In-sung is currently appearing as Sang-woo, the husband of documentary filmmaker Yeji (played by Cho Yeo-jeong), who focuses on a couple of laid-off workers, in the Netflix film "Possible Love" (directed by Lee Chang-dong), which was released in theaters recently.

"Possible Love" is a story about two couples—a laid-off worker and his wife, and a documentary filmmaker and her husband—who meet to produce a documentary and confront each other's different lives and hidden desires. The film won the FIPRESCI Prize at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival in the competition section (Jury Prize) and has garnered expectations not only from domestic audiences but also from global viewers.

In the film, Sang-woo, portrayed by Jo In-sung, stands in complete opposition to Ho-seok (played by Seol Kyeong-gu), a laid-off worker. While Ho-seok represents the face of a worker sacrificed under the logic of massive capital, Sang-woo embodies the established elite who steadily accumulate further wealth based on capital inherited through generations. Jo In-sung vividly brings out this contrast in three dimensions, expressing the heavy message about capital and class that director Lee Chang-dong aims to convey.

On the surface, Sang-woo appears as a kind person showing affection and goodwill toward Ho-seok and his wife Mi-ok (played by Jeon Do-yeon), but his occasional chilling lines or indifferent actions blur the boundaries of that goodwill. Jo In-sung portrays Sang-woo's movements across these boundaries with natural simplicity, as if walking a tightrope, without exaggeration, adding tension while simultaneously enhancing immersion.

Jo In-sung collided and intersected with various characters placed at opposite extremes in the film, including Ho-seok, Mi-ok, and Yeji, skillfully expressing the ambiguity of each character. This offers a glimpse into Jo In-sung's acting prowess.

Jo In-sung projected director Lee Chang-dong's unique authorial perspective on capital and labor, love and greed—themes that cannot be defined by a single word—onto the screen through his acting skills. With natural, effortless performances, he vividly expressed the deep worldview of director Lee Chang-dong.

Jo In-sung has recently worked with master directors one after another. Following Ryu Seung-wan's "Hunt" and Na Hong-jin's "Hope," and now with Lee Chang-dong's "Possible Love," he has met audiences consecutively through three new films by master directors this year alone. Jo In-sung is receiving love calls from masters thanks to his irreplaceable presence.

Meanwhile, "Possible Love" will be released in theaters on the 23rd and then made available globally via Netflix on November 6.

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*This content was translated by AI.