Director Lee Chang-dong's new film "Possible Love" is receiving glowing reviews from international media following its premiere at the Venice International Film Festival. It has recorded the highest rating among the competition entries unveiled locally, emerging as the biggest sensation of the early and middle stages of the festival.

"Possible Love" made its veil lifted through the official competition screening at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival held at the Sala Grande of the Palazzo del Cinema on the Lido of Venice, Italy, at 7:00 PM on the 6th (local time).

This is director Lee Chang-dong's new work released eight years after "Burning," depicting the story of a laid-off worker and his wife, alongside a documentary director and her husband—two couples who meet to make a documentary and confront their different lives and hidden desires.

Immediately after the official screening, a standing ovation of about six minutes erupted, and director Lee Chang-dong, writer Oh Jeong-mi, Jeon Do-yeon, Sul Kyung-gu, Zo In-sung, and Cho Yeo-jeong appeared deeply moved. In particular, Sul Kyung-gu was so immersed in his emotions that he took out a tissue from his pocket to wipe away tears, and Zo In-sung, standing right next to him, also repeatedly wiped away tears with his fingers.

In the competition ratings released right after the screening, "Possible Love" scored 4.2 out of 5 points, receiving the highest score among the nine films revealed so far. The work that held the highest score previously was director May el-Toukhy's "Woman Unknown" with 3.5 points.

Of course, these ratings are given by international critics and do not affect the competition judging where festival jurors select the winners. Even so, it remains an important yardstick to gauge the artistic completion and level of the film.

International media outlets also poured out evaluations consisting entirely of rave reviews. The Hollywood Reporter praised it as "a sad and beautiful chamber piece, brought to life by a top-tier cast, offering a profound reflection on trauma, loss of dignity, yearning, and class jealousy," while Variety lauded the director's broad perspective, stating, "'Possible Love' unfolds surprises and inevitability in such a perfect balance that in every scene you feel as though you are hearing something you always knew but never quite thought about."

Screen International evaluated that "South Korean director Lee Chang-dong follows up his 2018 film 'Burning' with another work that explores class and desire in an unsettling and enigmatic way," and the Guardian assessed that "'Possible Love' is somewhat artificial and self-conscious, and seems unsure of how much to emphasize moments of irony and comedy, but it is nevertheless executed with remarkable fluidity and vitality."

There are a total of 20 competition films invited to this year's Venice International Film Festival. Among them, about half—nine films—have been unveiled, and "Possible Love" has received the most favorable critical response, raising expectations for potential awards.

Director Lee Chang-dong advanced to the competition section of the Venice International Film Festival in 2002 with "Oasis," winning the Silver Lion for Best Director and the Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best New Actor (Moon Sori). As it has been 24 years since his return to the Venice competition section, it raises expectations for another wave of good news.

The Netflix film "Possible Love" will be released in theaters on September 23 before meeting global audiences via Netflix on November 6.

(SBS Entertainment News | Kim Ji-hye)