Summary
- Lee Chang-dong’s Heartbeat has been streaming globally on Netflix since November 2, 2026.
- The 28-minute film premiered at Jeonju in 2022 and was shot in one continuous take.
- It follows a boy worried about his mother, who lives with depression.
- The director’s feature Possible Love arrives on Netflix on November 6.
A 28-minute journey of anxiety filmed in a single continuous shot: Lee Chang-dong’s Heartbeat has been available globally on Netflix since November 2, 2026.
The South Korean director’s first short film is not a new production: it premiered at the 23rd Jeonju International Film Festival in 2022. What is new is the opportunity for a far wider audience to watch it, just days before his latest feature, Possible Love, reaches the platform.
One child, an unanswered call and mounting fear
Young Cheol (Kim Geon-u) knows that his mother lives with depression. When she does not answer the phone, he becomes increasingly worried and starts running home, trying to reach her as quickly as possible. The camera stays close to his face, drawing viewers into a child’s fear and his feeling of responsibility for someone he loves.
Jeon Do-yeon plays Cheol’s mother, while Sul Kyung-gu provides his father’s voice. Behind this intimate anxiety lies a wider social context of precarious work, linking the family’s experience to broader pressures.
28 minutes in one continuous shot
For filmmakers, one of the most compelling aspects of Heartbeat is its form. According to the official Jeonju festival programme, the story follows the boy in a single continuous take. Park Hong-yeol is credited as cinematographer, while Lee Chang-dong and Oh Jung-mi share the screenplay credit.
This choice gives editing no easy way to take the viewer away from Cheol’s anxiety. Camera movement, the child’s pace and the events around him must work together in the same cinematic time. It is a demanding approach to visual storytelling, even within a 28-minute film.
From a depression-focused initiative to a global release
Heartbeat began with a proposal from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Beijing Contemporary Art Foundation (BCAF), as part of an initiative inviting filmmakers to address depression. It premiered at Jeonju in 2022 without a wide conventional theatrical release.
Its arrival on Netflix on November 2, 2026 gives the film international reach, with subtitles in several languages, including English, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, French and German.
The connection to Possible Love
Heartbeat and Possible Love are separate films, but share creative collaborators, cast members and Lee Chang-dong’s concerns with depression and labour. Possible Love follows two married couples: a laid-off worker and his wife, and a documentary filmmaker and her husband, whose lives intersect through the process of filmmaking.
The new feature, Lee’s first since Burning (2018), screened at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival and won the Silver Lion – Grand Jury Prize. It arrives on Netflix worldwide on November 6, 2026.
Here is the official trailer for Possible Love — not Heartbeat:
A chance to rediscover Lee Chang-dong
Netflix is also expanding international access to Lee’s earlier films, including Green Fish, Peppermint Candy, Oasis, Secret Sunshine, Poetry and Burning. Availability of individual titles may still vary by country.
What we think
For anyone who makes films, Heartbeat is a reminder that running time has little to do with how much tension a story can carry. A child racing home, a camera that refuses to leave him and a fear that needs no repeated explanation: the approach allows direction and cinematography to do the storytelling.
What stands out to us is that the long take does not appear to exist merely to show off a technical feat. It is tied to the way Cheol experiences his anxiety. That makes the film worth studying as image-makers: when do camera movement and shot duration genuinely serve a character, rather than draw attention to themselves?
Frequently asked questions
Is Heartbeat a new 2026 production?
No. It was made in 2022 and became available globally on Netflix on November 2, 2026.
Is Heartbeat part of Possible Love?
No. It is a standalone short film that shares actors and thematic concerns with Possible Love, which launches on Netflix on November 6, 2026.
