Could Jeon Do-yeon’s ‘Possible Love’ Become the First Korean Film to Win an Oscar? The 100% Score Has Foreign Media Taking Notice

Unprecedented attention from foreign media marks a new milestone for a Korean actress

Actress Jeon Do-yeon, who stars in director Lee Chang-dong’s Netflix film ‘Possible Love,’ is drawing worldwide attention as prominent U.S. outlets discuss her as a leading contender for the Academy Award (Oscar) for Best Actress.

On the 25th (local time), U.S. entertainment publication The Hollywood Reporter raised the possibility that acclaimed actress Jeon Do-yeon could become the first Korean to receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. The outlet said, “Given the extraordinary work she has done in the film, it would be entirely fitting,” fueling anticipation.

The outlet took an in-depth look at Jeon Do-yeon’s decades-long acting career, from her debut as an advertising model in her 20s to films including ‘The Contact,’ ‘The Harmonium in My Memory,’ ‘You Are My Sunshine,’ ‘Secret Sunshine,’ and ‘The Housemaid,’ as well as the TV drama ‘Crash Course in Romance’ and the play ‘The Cherry Orchard.’

In recent years, many Korean actors, including Lee Byung-hun and Youn Yuh-jung, have received calls from Hollywood. But despite having relatively little experience in overseas productions, Jeon Do-yeon has demonstrated an overwhelming presence in the Netflix original ‘Possible Love.’ Playing Mi-ok, the wife of a laid-off worker, she has captivated critics around the world with her trademark depth of performance.

The Hollywood Reporter lavished praise on her, saying, “It’s hard to imagine anyone other than Jeon Do-yeon playing Mi-ok,” and, “Her performance is light-footed yet curious, making every expression and every tone of voice impossible to read as simple. It is a remarkable performance that, paradoxically, cuts deepest in its most delightful moments.” On that basis, the outlet strongly predicted that she could become the first Korean actor nominated for the Oscar for Best Actress.

Director Lee Chang-dong also said, “It is very rare and difficult for an actor in a non-English-language film to receive an Oscar nomination.” Still, he added, “Appropriate recognition from the Academy would acknowledge one actress’s great achievement while also serving as visible proof of the change the Academy is pursuing,” making no secret of his hopes.

Another perfect 100% score; strong contender for Best Picture and International Feature Film nominations

Global praise for ‘Possible Love’ itself, released on the 23rd, has continued to pour in.

The film scored a perfect 100% on the Tomatometer, the critics’ score on the influential U.S. movie review site Rotten Tomatoes. Rotten Tomatoes included ‘Possible Love’ alongside Hollywood blockbusters such as ‘The Odyssey’ and ‘Dune: Part Three’ on its list of predicted Best Picture nominees for next year’s Oscars.

The outlet also named Jeon Do-yeon as a potential Best Actress nominee and predicted that ‘Possible Love’ would be nominated for Best International Feature Film.

The Los Angeles Times also joined in the praise. The outlet said, “The delicate, novelistic and accessible humanity director Lee Chang-dong brings to his new film, ‘Possible Love,’ reaches a level unseen in any of his previous works.” It went on to call the film “a masterpiece—and the best film of the year—that combines astonishing performances, a finely crafted screenplay and flawless direction, while incisively examining who is fundamentally burdened with the struggles of everyday life and who is not.”

The outlet added, “Best-of lists exist for performances by actors in a different league, like Jeon Do-yeon,” saying, “She perfectly brings to life Mi-ok’s complex inner world: a soul restless with desire, a wife caught between comfort and worry, and a worker.”