Entertainment News

Lee Chang-dong's 'Heartbeat' joins Netflix days before 'Possible Love' as awards buzz grows

Netflix will release director Lee Chang-dong's short film “Heartbeat” on Monday, days before his feature “Possible Love” starts streaming on Friday, Yonhap reports. The Korea Herald ran the same Yonhap report.

“Heartbeat”, from 2022, is a 28-minute film about a boy whose mother lives with depression and whose father stages strikes on top of a tower crane. It is Lee's first short film. It premiered at the Jeonju International Film Festival without a cinema release and was made for a project by the World Health Organization and the Beijing Contemporary Art Foundation on the theme of depression. Its stars, Jeon Do-yeon and Sul Kyung-gu, also lead “Possible Love”.

“Possible Love”, Lee's first feature in eight years, won the Silver Lion at Venice. On October 20, Yonhap reported it had been named best film by the Korean Association of Film Critics, with Jeon as best actress. On October 28, The Korea Herald reported three Gotham Awards nominations: international feature, original screenplay, and lead performance for Jeon.

How each outlet framed it

• Yonhap — the Korean awards: the critics' prize, with Na Hong-jin's “Hope” winning best director.
• The Korea Herald — the American awards race: the Gothams as “a bellwether for the Oscars”, and Korea's official submission for best international feature.

What we don't know yet: whether the buzz turns into Oscar nominations. The Korea Herald notes that if Jeon is nominated for best actress, she would be the first South Korean performer in that category. Gotham winners will be announced on November 30.