Ganeunghan Sarang Brings Two Couples Together on Camera

A documentary brings two couples into each other’s lives in Ganeunghan Sarang, director Lee Chang-dong’s new drama, released on Netflix on November 6 after a September theatrical opening in South Korea. 1 2 It’s his first feature since Burning, eight years earlier. 3

The setup has an intriguing tension built into it: one couple is making a film about the other. Documentary director Ye-ji, played by Cho Yeo-jeong, and her husband Sang-woo, played by Zo In-sung, meet laid-off worker Ho-seok, played by Sol Kyung-gu, and his wife Mi-ok, played by Jeon Do-yeon. 1 4 Through that encounter, the four face their different lives and hidden desires. 1

The story behind the camera

Lee’s interest in the subject stretches back more than a decade. He told Xports News that he had considered a story about laid-off workers and their families after being struck by their suffering, but set the project aside while questioning his own position and whether he could tell it honestly. 5

The idea changed in the second half of 2024, when writer Oh Jung-mi proposed adding a documentary director and her husband to the existing story of the worker and his wife. 5 Lee said the addition allowed him to bring his own ethical questions as someone who carries a camera and conveys other people’s stories into the film. 5

That history makes the documentary setup especially compelling: the film’s subject is not just the people being filmed, but also the position of the people choosing how to tell their story. 1 5

A reunion and two new collaborations

The cast brings together actors with different histories with Lee. Jeon previously worked with him on Secret Sunshine, while Sol appeared in his Peppermint Candy and Oasis. 3 Cho and Zo, meanwhile, worked with the director for the first time on this film. 3

Lee told iMBC that Jeon and Sol had become freer on set than during their earlier work together. 6 Rather than measuring their performances against an image he had fixed in advance, he described watching through the camera as a process of discovering who Mi-ok and Ho-seok were. 6

There’s a visual detail to watch for, too: Wikitree reports that cinematographer Kim Ji-yong kept film lighting to a minimum and made active use of natural light. 3 Production designer Jang Min-woo furnished the couples’ respective spaces to reflect their ways of living. 3

What to know before watching

Wikitree lists the running time as 164 minutes and reports a Korean rating restricting viewing by minors. 3 Lee described the film’s pace as slow and its story as less straightforward than the films commonly encountered on Netflix, while connecting it to everyday conditions in Korea. 5

The film was released on Netflix on November 6, following its September 23 South Korean theatrical opening. 2 If you’re settling in for it, Lee’s account offers an especially interesting lens: pay attention to the people on both sides of the documentary camera. 1 5