The new movie by famous director Park Chan Wook "No Other Choice" received many compliments when it was released at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, creating a comparison with the Academy Award-winning Korean movie "Parasite" by director Bong Joon Ho.
"No Other Choice" has been a passionate project of Park Chan Wook for 2 decades, having a global debut in Italy, when it was invited to participate in the main competition category "Golden Lion" of the Venice Film Festival.
According to local media, after the screening, the audience stood up to applaud the film for 9 minutes.
Director Park Chan Wook shared: The reason I have never given up on this project for 20 years is because every time I tell people a story, no matter the era or country they come from, they always say it is close and relevant. I believe that one day it will be made into a film.
Based on the novel The Ax by Donald E. Westlake, No Other Choice is about Man Soo (Lee Byung Hun), a manager at a paper company who was fired, and had to take extreme measures to eliminate competitors to get her job back. Accompanying him was his wife Miri (Son Ye Jin) - a reasonable woman who is devoted to her family.
No Other Choice marks Park Chan Wooks return to commercial films after 3 years since Decision to leave - the film that won him the Best Director award at Cannes in 2022.
The response from critics is extremely positive. Critics praised Park Chan Wook's clever combination of his rich and spicy humor and his trendy social criticism.
The Guardian called it "the best film at the Venice Film Festival to date". While BBC called it "Parasite" this year, it highlighted both films in-depth explorations of class tensions in the capitalist system.
IndieWire described the film as "an excellent, bloody and funny satire of Park Chan Wook".
No Other Choice currently has a score of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.
According to Koreaherald, Korean cinema is facing great pressure, as their global position has been gradually eroded since the resounding success of 2020. Bong Joon Ho's "Parasite" swept the Oscar that year with 4 wins, including Best Actress.
Since then, Korean films have become scarce at international film festivals. This year, Korean cinema has encountered a special shock - director Hong Sang Soo, who almost dominated the Berlin International Film Festival with 4 awards in 5 years, has returned empty-handed.
Meanwhile, Cannes did not invite any Korean film to compete for the main award in May.
No Other Choice is expected to create a miracle like Parasite. But director Park Chan Wook is also in a formidable race, as the three previous Golden Lion winners are aiming for glory again.
