The South Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook last went to Venice in 2005, when his film Sympathy for Lady Vengeance was in competition. 20 years later, the Oldboy director returned to the latest edition of the festival with No Other Choice, a dark comedy starring Lee Byung-hun ("I Saw the Devil", "Squid Game"). The film was met with an enthusiastic six-minute standing ovation.
The film, which also got selected as the opening film at this year's Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), is powered by a twisted idea in 'The Ax', a 1997 novel by mystery author Donald E. Westlake. The plot revolves around a middle-aged man, recently terminated on account of corporate downsizing, drawing up a plan to kill every single man who could be a potential replacement to take over his former job, while desperately looking for new employment.
The story is transplanted to South Korea, with Lee Byung-hun playing the protagonist Man-soo, while Crashing Landing On You actress Son Ye-jin plays his wife, A-ra.
In a press meet at Venice, Park said it took a long time for him to make the film, but wasn't worried about the film's relevance because of its timely subject matter. “We all harbor that deep fear of employment and security. I was able to work on this film for 20 years because no matter who I told over the two decades, they’d always relate and say, ‘It’s such a timely story.’ That gave me the confidence to know it’s a film that will eventually get made.”
A former film critic, Park Chan-wook made his directorial debut with The Moon... is the Sun's Dream. However, his 2000 film Joint Security Area was what was deemed to be his breakthrough. He later made the 'Vengeance' trilogy, which comprises the widely acclaimed Oldboy, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and Lady Vengeance.
For his stellar work in Decision to Leave, Park Chan-wook won Best Director at the Cannes Film Festival in 2022.