[Edaily Starin YUN GI BACK Reporter] Director Lee Chang-dong’s new film, “Possible Love,” has received overwhelmingly positive reviews immediately after its premiere at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival and is emerging as a strong contender for the Golden Lion Award.
“Possible Love” received a standing ovation lasting about six minutes following its world premiere in Venice on the 6th. The film marks Director Lee’s first new release in eight years since “Burning” and stars Jeon Do-yeon, Seol Kyung-gu, Jo In-sung, and Jo Yeo-jeong. It is one of 21 films selected for this year’s Venice Film Festival competition section.

◇ 96 on Metacritic, 100% on Rotten Tomatoes… Critical Reception Ranks Among the “Top Tier”
The international critical response, as reflected in the numbers, is also strong. Immediately after its release, the film received high ratings in the mid-to-high 90s on Metacritic, and as of the 7th, it recorded an average score of 96 based on 11 reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, early critic ratings stand at 100%, placing it among the top-ranked films screened at this year’s Venice Film Festival.
Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews from international trade publications and converts them to a 100-point scale based on its own criteria. Unlike Rotten Tomatoes, which simply shows the percentage of positive reviews, Metacritic also factors in the strength of the reviews themselves; this makes the 96-point score particularly noteworthy.
Major local media outlets have also been weighing in. Vulture named *Possible Love* a contender for the best film at this year’s Venice Film Festival, and *The Hollywood Reporter* also highlighted it as one of the films receiving the most enthusiastic response at the festival. The Guardian praised it as a film that sensitively explores exploitation and friendship through the relationships of the two couples, while the South China Morning Post awarded it 4.5 out of 5 stars.
What has caught the critics’ attention goes beyond the sheer quality of the narrative to the director’s distinctive social perspective. Through the story of two couples from different economic backgrounds whose lives become intertwined while making a documentary, the film delves into labor, class, desire, and human dignity. In particular, drawing on the social consciousness sparked by the massive layoffs and labor disputes of 2009, it connects individual trauma to social structures.

◇Will It Win the Golden Lion?… Remaining Competitors Are the Wild Card
Judging by the current atmosphere, “Possible Love” can be classified as a frontrunner in the running for the Golden Lion. Not only has it received high scores from critics, but the response at the film festival has also been strong. There is also the narrative that Director Lee has returned to the Venice Competition section for the first time in 24 years, since winning the Silver Lion for Best Director for “Oasis” in 2002.
However, it is still too early to predict the outcome. A total of 21 films are in this year’s competition section, and screenings of major titles will continue through the latter half of the festival. Notable films anticipated in the latter half include Florian Zeller’s *Bunker*, Casey Affleck’s *Company*, the highly experimental *DAU*, and *NAZA*, which deals with the Gaza Strip. Depending on how critics react after these films are screened, the race for the Golden Lion could shift. Furthermore, since the Golden Lion is not determined by critics’ scores but by the jury’s judgment, high ratings on Metacritic or Rotten Tomatoes do not necessarily translate into an actual win.
Nevertheless, there is little disagreement that *Possible Love* emerged as one of this year’s most talked-about films at Venice immediately after its premiere. The film has already been selected as South Korea’s entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the 99th Academy Awards, so favorable reviews at Venice could give it a boost in the upcoming Oscar race.
This year’s Venice Film Festival also holds special significance for the director. Although he has previously won the Best Director Award for *Oasis*, he has yet to win the Golden Lion, the festival’s top prize. If *Possible Love* wins, it will mark the director’s first Golden Lion and his first major award at Venice in 24 years.
The 83rd Venice International Film Festival runs through the 12th. Whether the film can maintain its initial ratings—a 96 on Metacritic and 100% on Rotten Tomatoes—even after all remaining competition entries have been screened is expected to be a key indicator of the Golden Lion race.