Possible Love Release Date: US Oct. 23, Netflix Nov. 6

Lee Chang-dong's "Possible Love" opens in select theaters in the United States, Britain, Ireland, Canada and Japan on Friday, Oct. 23, a day after an Australian release, and streams on Netflix worldwide on Nov. 6. That leaves two weeks in theaters before the film moves to Netflix, which is releasing it.

On Tuesday the Korean Association of Film Critics named "Possible Love" best film of the year and gave Jeon Do-yeon the best actress award, the Korea Times reported, citing Yonhap. Na Hong-jin's sci-fi film "Hope" won three awards: best director, best actor for Zo In-sung and best cinematography. Zo also appears in "Possible Love" as Sang-woo, but won for the other film.

Park Ji-hoon took best new actor for "The King's Warden," the most-watched film in Korea this year, and Seo Su-bin took best new actress for "The World of Love." The association also named 10 notable Korean films of the year: "Possible Love," "Hope," "The Assassin(s)," "The King's Warden," "The World of Love," "Salmokji: Whispering Water," "Good News," "People and Meat," "1980 Sabuk" and "Pavane." The awards cover films released from October 2025 through September 2026, and the winners will be honored at a ceremony on Nov. 4.

"Possible Love" is Lee's first feature in eight years, since "Burning" in 2018, and runs 164 minutes. It premiered in competition at the Venice International Film Festival and won the Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize. South Korea has submitted it for Best International Feature at the 99th Academy Awards. A submission is not a nomination, and the film has not been shortlisted.

The story follows two married couples. Ho-seok (Sul Kyung-gu), a laid-off worker, and his wife Mi-ok (Jeon Do-yeon) cross paths with Ye-ji (Cho Yeo-jeong), a documentary maker, and her affluent husband Sang-woo (Zo In-sung) when Ye-ji sets out to film a documentary about laid-off workers. Lee wrote the script with Oh Jung-mi, his co-writer on "Burning." Jeon won the best actress prize at Cannes for Lee's "Secret Sunshine" in 2007.

The film opened in Korean theaters on Sept. 23. For American viewers, the Oct. 23 run is the only way to see it on a big screen before the Netflix date. The U.S. release is described as limited, and BroadwayWorld says it will play in "select theaters." A theater list had not been published in the sources reviewed.

The critics' ceremony is Nov. 4. The Netflix release follows two days later, on Nov. 6.