The dark comedy No Other Choice reunites writer/director Chan-Wook Park with his Joint Security Area star Lee Byung-Hun. Based on the book Ax, the story follows a longtime paper mill executive who is let go and will stop at nothing to secure employment at another company.
Man-su (Lee Byung-Hun), a high-level executive at Solar Paper, lives a comfortable, fulfilled life with a nice home, a great family, and a solid paycheck — until an American corporation buys out the company and lays him off along with many others. Determined not to be discouraged, he vows to find work quickly.
A year and a half later, Man-su has resorted to retail work just to pay the bills, and his job search remains fruitless. His once-stable family is now cutting corners to survive, even giving their beloved dogs to his wife’s parents. Their situation becomes so dire that they consider selling their home, and humiliation hits when one of their son’s classmates’ parents arrives as a potential buyer. Mi-ri finally takes a job as a dental assistant, and ironically, Man-su soon develops a toothache.
An interview at Moon Paper ends with Man-su being humiliated by a manager, Sun-chul (Park Hee-soon). For a moment, he thinks killing him might open a path to the job, but he quickly realizes that wouldn’t eliminate the broader candidate search. Instead, he creates a fake job posting tailored to his own qualifications, narrowing the pool to two desperate candidates.
“the story follows a longtime paper mill executive who is let go and will stop at nothing to secure employment at another company.”
The film has recently earned Critics Choice and Golden Globe nominations and stands as South Korea’s submission for Best International Feature at the Academy Awards. It marks a surprising departure for Park from his darker dramatic style, and even for Lee Byung-Hun, who is more widely known for his dramatic roles in film and television. The two last collaborated 25 years ago, and watching them reunite feels worth the wait.
The film reminded me a bit of Bong Joon-Ho’s Parasite: that one examines class from the bottom up, while No Other Choice explores what happens when someone at the top begins slipping into the lower tiers. It’s like being used to flying first class and suddenly finding yourself in economy.
As with any story that pushes an ordinary person to extreme measures — especially killing — mischievous chaos inevitably follows. One particularly fun sequence unfolds to the backdrop of old-school Korean pop singer Cho Yong-Pil’s “Red Dragonfly.” When I interviewed director Park for the U.S. press junket, I mentioned how I wished I could have watched that moment in a Korean theater to feel the audience’s reaction. Even if viewers don’t know the song, it fits perfectly within the scene.
The film opens wide on X-Mas Day, and for anyone seeking anti-holiday programming that still entertains from start to finish, this one absolutely delivers.
"…mischievous chaos inevitably follows."
