Is Park Chan-wook's 'No Other Choice' next 'Parasite' on the horizon?

Filmmaker Park Chan-wook poses on the red carpet for his film “No Other Choice” during the 82nd Venice International Film Festival in Venice, Italy, Friday (local time). AFP-Yonhap

By Baek Byung-yeul

• Published Aug 31, 2025 4:02 PM KST

Filmmaker Park Chan-wook’s highly anticipated new film “No Other Choice” received rave reviews at its premiere during the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, sparking early comparisons to Bong Joon-ho's Oscar-winning "Parasite."

The film, which has been a passion project for Park for two decades, finally debuted to a global audience on Friday night (local time) in Italy, as it was invited to the competition section of the festival. Following the screening, the audience erupted in a standing ovation that lasted for over nine minutes, according to local media.

Earlier on Friday, during a press conference featuring the director and lead actors Lee Byung-hun, Son Ye-jin, Park Hee-soon, Yeom Hye-ran and Lee Sung-min, Park explained that the film was born out of a 20-year journey.

“The reason I never gave up on this project for 20 years is that whenever I told people the story, no matter the time period or country they came from, they would always say it was relatable and timely,” he said. “I believed it would be made into a film one day.”

Based on Donald E. Westlake's novel “The Ax,” “No Other Choice” follows Man-soo (Lee Byung-hun), a recently laid-off man who takes extreme measures to eliminate his competition to secure a new job and protect his family.

International critics praised the film's dark humor and social commentary. Deadline, a news outlet on entertainment and Hollywood, highlighted Lee Byung-hun's unexpected comedic talent, stating that "while known as an action star, in this film, he reveals a talent for slapstick comedy."

Damon Wise of Deadline called it a "jet-black comedy" that showcases Lee in his "most revelatory role to date," describing his presence as "an anarchic fusion of Mads Mikkelsen and Buster Keaton.”

IndieWire described the film as “Park Chan-wook’s brilliant, bloody and bleakly hilarious capitalism satire.”

The American film media website went on, "This is a story about sustenance of a different sort; it’s a 'Looney Tunes'-like fable about how capitalism exerts itself by feeding our self-images as it fattens our wallets, and by conflating what we do with who we are to the point that one becomes dependent upon the other."

The director shared his fear of being laid off, a sentiment many feel in capitalist society, noting that his profession as a filmmaker shares fundamental similarities with what Man-soo experienced in the film.

“We (film directors) also become in a state of potential unemployment after finishing a film project, being forced to wait for months or even years for another project,” he said. “I am also someone who experienced that for a long time.”

Lee said he focused on portraying Man-soo's psychological transformation.

“Man-soo is an ordinary family man who struggles to move toward his goal to protect his family,” he said. “As he gradually becomes a clever criminal, he justifies his actions, but after everything is over, he doubts whether his wife knows about his crimes and becomes mentally exhausted. I tried to pay more attention to portraying that change.”

Son Ye-jin, who performs Man-soo’s wife Mi-ri, expressed her confidence in the project.

"The story was intense and beautiful, yet also tragic. After reading the script, which contained everything in a condensed way, I was certain that an incredible film would be made,” she said.

The film is expected to garner attention during the upcoming awards season, with many global critics already anticipating a potential Academy Award nomination.

“No Other Choice” is scheduled for domestic release on Sept. 24.