Possible Love, the new film from acclaimed Korean director Lee Chang-dong, arrives on Netflix today, Friday, November 6, after a limited theatrical run. The Korean romance drama stars Jeon Do-yeon and Sul Kyung-gu, two of South Korea’s most respected actors. Lee Chang-dong is one of world cinema’s most revered directors, known for films including Oasis, Secret Sunshine and Burning — the last of which was widely regarded as one of the best films of 2018. His return with a romance drama is one of the most significant streaming premieres of the month for lovers of international cinema.
A director’s return
The film arrives on Netflix after a limited theatrical run, following the pattern of recent prestige international releases that use cinemas for awards qualification before reaching their main audience on streaming. Netflix is carrying most of this weekend’s genuinely new movie premieres, and Possible Love is its flagship title. Jeon Do-yeon, who won Best Actress at Cannes for Secret Sunshine — also directed by Lee — reunites with the director for the first time since that 2007 triumph. Sul Kyung-gu, one of Korea’s most prolific leading men, co-stars.
A strong weekend for Netflix
Possible Love arrives in the same week that Netflix’s Black Doves returned for its second season, with Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw, and ahead of Jessica Chastain’s Heartland on November 13. It is a reminder that the streamer’s November slate is not only franchise fare and holiday films — it also has room for one of the world’s great directors, working in his own language, on his own terms.
Sources: ZoomTV new releases Nov 2–8 (Possible Love on Netflix Nov 6, Jeon Do-yeon and Sul Kyung-gu, Lee Chang-dong returns); Cocktails and Movies (Nov 6, Possible Love arrives Friday after limited theatrical run).
