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Possible Love
Lee Chang-dong's first film since Burning is a near-three-hour drama of two marriages and a documentary that one of them cannot afford to be made. Critics are close to unanimous: patient, humane and sharply observed on class, with only length and the odd heavy stroke against it.
It reaches Netflix on 6 November after Venice and Toronto, and it is the one to clear an evening for.
Dir. Lee Chang-dong · 2026 · 164 min · on Netflix from 6 November
The setup
Mi-ok (Jeon Do-yeon) lives with her husband Ho-seok (Sul Kyung-gu) and their son. Ho-seok lost his factory job, and what happened around it left him scarred and drinking. Then Mi-ok befriends a wealthy woman, Ye-ji (Cho Yeo-jeong), who is married to a successful businessman (Zo In-sung). Ye-ji decides to make a documentary about Ho-seok's story. That is as far as this review goes.
What works
This is Lee Chang-dong's first film since Burning, and it is a patient one. What's on Netflix, writing from Toronto, calls Jeon Do-yeon's lead performance a "powerhouse" turn, and admires how Lee refuses a simple good-against-bad split: the documentarian is both exploitative and sincere, and the film lets her be both. James Mottram in the South China Morning Post praises the way two very different marriages are held side by side to examine class and wealth in Korea.
By putting two very different marriages under the microscope, it proves it will be hard to beat.
James Mottram, South China Morning Post
Critics also point to the pacing. Violeta Kovacsics of OtrosCines likens it to a river gradually reaching its full force, and sets its looser staging against the precision and symmetry of Parasite. The film premiered in competition at Venice, reportedly won the Grand Jury Prize there, and is South Korea's submission for the international feature Oscar.
What doesn't
Almost nobody finds fault, which is worth saying plainly. The two caveats in the reviews are length and weight. At roughly two hours and 44 minutes it asks for an evening, and Kovacsics notes that some passages press the social critique in broad, heavy strokes. If you want your class drama brisk and sly, this is the other kind.
Is it for you?
Where to watch
It streams on Netflix from 6 November, after a limited cinema run from 23 October in select places. Availability varies by country, so check your own Netflix library before you plan the evening.
Sources: What's on Netflix, South China Morning Post, OtrosCines, Netflix release date report.