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Park Chan-wook finds humor in man's tragic plight in 'No Other Choice'

Published: 19 Aug. 2025, 17:44 Updated: 05 Sep. 2025, 16:27

Director Park Chan-wook attends a press conference for his latest film, ″No Other Choice,″ in Seoul on Aug. 19. [YONHAP]

No book has ever inspired director Park Chan-wook's desire to create a film adaptation more strongly than Donald E. Westlake's "The Ax."

At a press conference in Seoul on Tuesday, the acclaimed director affirmed once again what it meant to bring the book to the big screen — a project he once described as the one "I've wanted to make the most for so long," now titled "No Other Choice."

"It's been almost 20 years since I first thought about it. While I wasn't working on this project exclusively, I had been pursuing it ceaselessly," the director said. "And now the day has finally come to fruition."

Both the director and cast members described the upcoming film as simultaneously heartbreaking and hilarious.

At the press event, Park said he saw ample room for "darkly absurd humor" when adapting the original novel into a movie.

The cast of Park Chan-wook's ″No Other Choice″ poses for photos at a press conference in Seoul on Aug. 19. [YONHAP]

"The book brilliantly described how an ordinary man is cornered by the social system. Whenever I revisited the book, I found it very engaging and worth savoring due to its intricate psychological mechanisms," he said. "I also saw the potential to bring a new layer of absurd humor — the kind that is both sad and funny."

"A closer look at human life exposes its tragicomic duality," Park continued. "I am not trying to generate laughs by mocking people in their miserable circumstances. The film explores emotions that we all have, so it is ultimately the story of us all."

The film follows Man-soo (played by Lee Byung-hun), a middle-aged man who, after being suddenly fired from a paper company, becomes determined to find a new job and deals with those standing in his way.

Actor Lee Byung-hun poses for photos at a press conference for ″No Other Choice″ in Seoul on Aug. 19. [YONHAP]

Actress Son Ye-jin, known for the popular TV series "Crash Landing on You" (2019-2020) and the movie "The Negotiation" (2018), plays Man-soo's cheerful and mentally strong wife, Mi-ri.

Regarding the film's comedic elements, Lee said, "I was surprised by how funny director Park's film turned out to be. After reading the script, I had to ask him, 'Am I supposed to play this for laughs?'"

Still, Lee stressed that the film's emotional complexity was certain to evoke a wide range of feelings in audiences, which was why he focused on portraying his character Man-soo — a man cornered into an extreme situation — "in a convincing and believable way."

A poster for ″No Other Choice″ is seen in this image, provided by CJ ENM. [YONHAP]

The cast also includes Lee Sung-min from "Handsome Guys" (2024), Yeom Hye-ran from the popular Netflix original "The Glory" (2022), Cha Seung-won of "Believer 2" (2023) and Park Hee-soon of "The Policeman's Lineage" (2022).

Following this 2022 Best Director win at Cannes for "Decision to Leave," the auteur's latest film is now poised for another major cinematic honor, as it is set to compete for the prestigious Golden Lion at this year's Venice International Film Festival, from Aug. 27 to Sept. 6. It marks the first Korean film to compete for the festival's top prize in 13 years after Kim Ki-duk's "Pietà" won the award in 2012.

It has also been selected as the opening film for this year's Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), which will run from Sept. 17-26. BIFF described it as a film that "embodies what audiences most hope to see: a work capable of reinvigorating Korean cinema at this pivotal moment."

Yonhap