There was No Other Choice.
Through a dark satirical thriller, Park Chan-wook dives into the devastating consequences of downsizing and unemployment. Just how far are you willing to go to reclaim your life?
Written by Xiaoyi Wang
After over twenty years in the making, Park Chan-wook’s newest feature, No Other Choice, finally premiered in competition at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival. There, it received enthusiastic rave reviews from both audiences and critics. Derived from the 1997 Donald E. Westlake novel The Ax, the dark satirical thriller puts you on tenterhooks throughout the film without fail.
As one of the most pertinent writer-directors of today, Park does not shy away from troubling subjects. As technology rises, without adequate regulations and awareness, employment instability becomes a quotidian topic. Machines do not need to buy food, pay rent, or raise children—but humans do. When money is scarce, sure, one can tighten one’s belt, but just how tight? How far are you willing to go to reclaim your life?
The film opens with a beautiful sequence of Man-su (Lee Byung-hun) in his beautiful house, with his beautiful wife, Miri (Son Ye-jin), his two beautiful children, two beautiful Goldens, and their beautiful garden with a beautiful greenhouse. How perfect. Unfortunately, this is only moments before he finds out that he has been laid off from his job at the paper manufacturing company. An American company has acquired the factory and is switching the workers to automated AI machines, resulting in mass terminations. This turn of events means Man-su can no longer support his family the way he used to. In the months to come, his job hunting yields no success, the family has to let go of unnecessary expenses, and Miri takes on a side job as a dental assistant.
Worst of all, Miri has to list the house for sale because they can no longer afford to pay back the mortgage. Man-su is devastated, as this is the house he grew up in and had bought back after years of hard work. On top of it all, he is forced to beg and kneel for a position at his rival company, leaving his dignity in the dust. In the midst of this desperation, a spark of inspiration strikes when his wife remarks, if only a stroke of lightning would befall his rival.
To guarantee his success, Man-su plans to murder Choi Sun-chul (Park Hee-soon), a fellow worker at the rival company, along with two other capable adversaries who are also unemployed at the time, to eliminate the competition. The plan unfolds, but not always as he expects.
The film shed light on economic and employment instability, where losing a job can feel like a death sentence. Unfortunately, this is more realistic than it should be, particularly within East Asian workplace structures, which are notorious for their suffocating pressure. Far too many people are driven to take their own lives in hopelessness. While the situation may be more extreme in countries like Korea, it remains a global concern. So to some degree, almost everyone living in a society can relate to the anxiety portrayed in this dramatized scenario.
The counterpart to this twisted situation is Park’s dark, satirical comedy, which he played through clever dialogues, pathetic actions, the absurdity of the situation, or the way the camera is positioned. He reprised his poetic, precise, and at times unusually eerie cinematography, revealing and concealing just the right amount. Terrifying situations were at times played out in the most hilarious fashion. He showed how the simple framing of a shot could twist the intention of a normal conversation or render a frightening chase utterly ridiculous.
The subject matter, coated in compelling humour, weaved Park Chan-wook’s intricate web. As the situation unfolded, we delved deeper and deeper into the unnerving psyche of the characters. Driven by love, obsession, and survival instinct, they quickly morphed into demented and tragic creatures. One couldn’t help but applaud the character constructions. Though Man-su is the centerpiece of the story, every other character—no matter how small—contributes to his downward spiral.
The actors delivered remarkable performances, fully matching the exceptional script. Lee Byung-hun’s portrayal of Man-su drew the audience into empathizing with the anti-hero as he edges ever closer to the abyss despite the violence and madness. Meanwhile, Miri acted as the stabilizing force of Man-su’s sanity, a rational counterpoint to balance his derangement—but that did not necessarily make her any more “sane”.
As with any good thriller, Park preplanted knots of uncanny metaphors throughout the film. Man-su’s prodigious daughter, who refuses to play the cello properly at home, reflects his obsessiveness through her crayon scribbles and her refusal to leave the empty doghouse. Even in nature, the delicate bonsais tended by Man-su in his greenhouse suggest a twisted atmosphere beneath the surface beauty. Speaking of environments, the locations and sets were especially fitting and detailed, constantly mirroring or contrasting the characters’ psyches. The colour palettes were carefully crafted with their own aesthetic—at times abnormally dreamy, at others cold and daunting. The abundant, intricate details in every aspect of the film are one of the main reasons we can’t help but linger on every scene.
It took Park Chan-wook 20 years to make this film due to insufficient funding, but luckily—and unfortunately—this timely story has only grown more powerful and relevant in today’s world. At one point in the film, we understand why Man-su cannot take a job outside of paper manufacturing, revealing both the often-overlooked significance of this work and his unwavering dedication. Park relates to this attitude as a filmmaker; while many dismiss the job as useless or banal, to those who understand the work, art is a bedrock of humanity. Once you truly dedicate yourself to it, creation turns into a biological instinct, an unstoppable need. You can, of course, do other things—but to lose this? That becomes nearly impossible to live by.
Under Park’s outstanding direction, No Other Choice was a well-deserved fan favorite at the festival, establishing itself as one of the best pictures of the year. I laughed more during this film than any other, yet when the credits rolled, I couldn’t help but respect its demand to reflect on our society. In summation, this was not only an unflinching examination of the world we live in and human nature, but also a showcase of the copious possibilities of storytelling in all its mastery.
No Other Choice premiered on August 29th, 2025, at the Venice International Film Festival. General release dates are yet to be announced.
Photo: Courtesy of CJ ENM
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