By Zoe Luczaj | NB Indy Arts Columnist
Universally acclaimed Korean director Park Chan-wook, celebrated for his iconic works like “Oldboy,” “The Handmaiden” and “Decision to Leave,” enthralled audiences at the Newport Beach Film Festival with a sold-out screening of his highly anticipated film “No Other Choice.”
He describes his newest film as his lifetime project. “No Other Choice” is a pitch-black comedy that follows the drastic and ravenous measures that an unemployed father, Man-su (played by Lee Byung-hun), takes to dominate the pitiless job market. The film is an adaptation of Donald E. Westlake’s novel, “The Ax,” which tells the story of Burke Devore and his murderous chase for employment.
Park explains to the NB Indy, “What I was initially attracted to the most in the original novel was the moral dilemma that the main character experiences, I think that’s where the comedy and the tragedy of the story occurs, and I hope that the audience experiences the same thing, that they sympathize with the protagonist’s moral dilemma and that they feel sympathy for him at times and then at other times observe him from a critical distance. That two-track experience is what I’m hoping the audience will be able to see in the movie.”
Also on Park’s mind while writing “No Other Choice” was John Boorman’s 1967 crime film “Point Blank.”
“This is a film I personally love,” Park said, “and it’s the one that led me to the original novel of ‘No Other Choice’ in the first place.”
“Point Blank” follows Walker, a vengeful outlaw on a single-minded warpath to reclaim a trivial sum of money. Park draws a deliberate parallel between Walker’s obsessive pursuit and Man-su’s own unflinching devotion to securing a new job at another paper company.
As a synthesis of two texts that skew towards the darker, mordant side of human nature, one could assume that Park is ambivalent about humanity, but the director reaffirmed his love and fascination for humanity in a Q&A with PBS following the screening.
“It’s very similar to going through an experiment in a laboratory,” Park explains. “You put yourself at an extremely low temperature or a high temperature. You test them to their limit and study them under a microscope. If I had no hope or love towards humanity, I wouldn’t go through all that ordeal.”
Park was awarded the Global Impact award at the Newport Beach Film Festival in recognition of his cinematic influence across the globe and his ability to bridge Eastern and Western audiences through his singular vision and unwavering commitment to humanity.
As for what’s next? Park currently doesn’t have plans for his next film but expressed a vested interest in making a Western. Plans for another project will have to begin after “No Other Choice’s” Oscar campaign as South Korea’s official selection for Best International Feature Film.
“No Other Choice” currently has a 100 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes and is set for a release from NEON on Dec. 25, which leaves you with no other choice than to bear witness to this knockout film.
