Park Chan-wook's New Film 'No Other Choice' Premieres at Venice

At the 82nd Venice Film Festival, director Park Chan-wook's new film 〈No Other Choice〉 was officially premiered on the 29th local time. The screening held at the Sala Grande theater on Lido Island in Venice, Italy, concluded with a 9-minute standing ovation from the audience, confirming the film's warm reception.

Based on Donald Westlake's novel 「The Ax」, this work is a black comedy depicting the story of a jobless father, Mansoo, who is trying to re-enter the workforce. Invited to the competition section of the Venice Film Festival, Lee Byung-hun plays the lead role of Mansoo, while Son Ye-jin plays his wife, Miri.

Ten minutes before the screening began, Lee Byung-hun and Son Ye-jin appeared on the red carpet to enthusiastic cheers from fans. In particular, the fans' reaction towards Lee Byung-hun highlighted his international popularity, which has risen due to the Netflix series 〈Squid Game〉. Fans filled the area in front of the theater, repeatedly shouting "Lee!" and some even held up posters from his previous work 〈I Saw The Devil〉 (2010) asking for autographs.

Director Park Chan-wook also received great cheers as he was seen filming the scene with a camera. The cast members, including Park Hee-soon, Lee Sung-min, and Yeom Hye-ran, actively engaged with fans, providing enthusiastic fan service.

The screening began with a standing ovation from the audience. Throughout the film, the audience actively responded to the black comedy elements. In particular, a scene where Mansoo seeks to eliminate competitors for re-employment and unexpectedly receives help from a competitor's wife elicited great laughter. The scene where Miri says she will cut down on Netflix expenses due to Mansoo's unemployment also brought laughter, conveying the film's universal emotions to the audience.

As the credits rolled, the audience gave a 9-minute standing ovation. Director Park and the actors held hands and bowed in response, and Park was seen hugging each actor in celebration. Lee Mi-kyung, Vice Chairman of CJ, who oversaw production, also attended and graced the event.

An Italian audience member, Sani Gabriele, who was met at the venue, said, "I haven't watched many Korean films, but while looking at the Venice Film Festival program, I was drawn to the trailer of 〈No Other Choice〉 and decided to watch it. I found the actors' performances convincing and realistic, which I liked."

Director Park Chan-wook expressed his thoughts on the first screening, saying, "It was the first time presenting it to the audience, and those who watched the film came to me and said they enjoyed it. I hope those words are sincere."

Major international media outlets have shown favorable reactions to the work. IndieWire described it as "a brilliant, brutal, and bitterly humorous satire by director Park Chan-wook," stating it is "a rare film that does not cheer for the protagonist but empathizes with him."

The Guardian noted, "Director Park Chan-wook presents a shocking yet timely satire," adding, "It may not be Park Chan-wook's greatest masterpiece, but it is the best among the competition films at the Venice Film Festival so far."

Praise for Lee Byung-hun's performance continued. IndieWire analyzed, "Lee Byung-hun's smooth performance as Mansoo plays a key role in balancing the tragic tone of the director."

Deadline commented, "〈No Other Choice〉 is a work that captures Lee Byung-hun's amazing performance and appears to be director Park's response to Bong Joon-ho's film 〈Parasite〉, a dark black comedy."

〈No Other Choice〉 will compete for the Golden Lion award for Best Film at the closing ceremony on the 6th of next month, alongside Yorgos Lanthimos's 〈Poor Things〉 and Guillermo del Toro's 〈Frankenstein〉.