The Korean Film Council (KOFIC) has selected “Possible Love,” directed by Lee Chang-dong, as South Korea‘s official entry for the international feature film category at the 2027 Academy Awards.
“Possible Love” marks Lee’s first feature in eight years, following “Burning,” “Poetry” and “Secret Sunshine.” The film centers on two married couples whose lives intersect after a funeral: Mi-ok and her laid-off husband Ho-seok (Sul Kyung-gu), who live quietly with their young son Cheol, and Ye-ji, a filmmaker making a documentary about workers who lost their jobs, and her husband Sang-woo (Zo In-sung). When Mi-ok agrees to be filmed by Ye-ji, the two women grow close, while Mi-ok finds herself unsettled by an attraction to Sang-woo. As the two couples’ worlds overlap, cracks begin to surface in both marriages.
A 15-member selection committee, chaired by film critic Jung Sung-il, made the choice. Other committee members included Kang Myung-chan, Kim So-young, Kim Jae-joong, Kim Tae-sung, Kim Hyun-chul, Moon Young-hwa, Song Kyung-won, Won Dong-yeon, Yoo Hyun-taek, Yoon Sung-eun, Lee Han, Lim Dae-hyung, Jung Yi-jun and Cho Hwa-sung.
In its evaluation, the committee cited the film’s polished craftsmanship and the clarity of its directorial vision, pointing to the tone and mise-en-scène that sustain a sense of pressure throughout the story. The drama was described as prompting reflection on gentle forms of violence, incomplete freedom and the nature of true happiness, alongside a labor movement sequence that the committee said captured layered social undercurrents.
