No Other Choice begins with a seemingly heartwarming introduction to a solid family unit. The family’s patriarch and our “protagonist” Man-soo, played by Lee Byung-hun, is at the grill cooking up some eels gifted to him by his employer. His wife Miri, played by Son Ye-jin, is enjoying the quality family time, setting the table as their adolescent son, Si-One, sits with a propped-up tablet with his latest TV obsession and their young daughter, Ri-One, is out of sight playing her cello. The feeling in the air is carefree. The scenery is lush. The dogs, named Si-Two and Ri-Two, are happy. A sense of security and contentment permeates the air. However, please leave it to Park Chan-wook to set up such a scene and make it feel…off. All is not well in You Man-soo’s household.
Turns out the eels were not a kind gesture, but a harbinger of bad, with Man-soo swiftly losing his job due to his company downsizing and restructuring for “efficiency” and “modernity.” The older staff are reduced to redundancies and are ushered out after years of hard work and accumulated goodwill. Man-soo is an awkward, good-natured man, but he definitely has a screw loose. What we learn of him rather quickly is that he loves his family, enjoys being the “breadwinner,” but he lacks confidence and assertiveness. He is good at his job and has obviously worked hard, but he doesn’t have that charisma that makes him enviable, unlike the actor who plays him. So, what is a man who has a low opinion of himself and is desperate to provide his family with their needs and luxuries to do when he becomes suddenly unemployed? Well, when you feel like you have no other choice, things turn rather bloody.
Park Chan-wook has an impeccable eye for visuals, which is evident from his filmography, which includes Decision to Leave, The Handmaiden, Lady Vengeance and Oldboy. From the start, the film is incredibly eye-catching, with fun and engaging choices made in camera and framing that capture the tension, absurdity, and sincerity of the film. No Other Choice is a dark satirical comedy; to make the points hit as well as the jokes, each scene needs to feel heightened, the performances need to be bold, the action spontaneous, and most importantly, the craftsmanship needs to be top-tier to bring all the elements together. Each moment of this film is expressive, lively and vibrant despite the dark subject matter and the occasional devastating reality check. Park Chan-wook has taken the saying of “never let them know your next move” to another level. He melds the moral complexities of the characters in a tender, loving way while casting a harsh light on the mitigating circumstances that lead to a series of violent events. All of which can be seen in the direction.
No Other Choice follows a clear pattern of Park Chan-wook challenging societal norms and economic and class struggles. The film is an astute exploration of unemployment, particularly for men over 40 who are supporting either a spouse or family. Park Chan-wook takes something that is inherently sad but emphasizes the little ways in which these situations are comical, while making the absurd actions taken by our lead appear normal or justified. At the core, the film, which is an adaptation of Donald E. Westlake’s horror thriller The Axe, manages to be a provocative and bold statement against the morally bankrupt way of thinking from the corporate overlords, and never loses sight of the core issue of corporate-mandated downsizing and the dehumanization of the working class. But like so many of his films about human struggles, Park has fun with the genre, testing and teasing the audience all while pulling them through a thought-provoking study on the effects of employment and the power of parental unity.
Furthermore, Park is excellent at getting his actors to perform in a manner that is both humorous and immensely endearing. If Lee Byung-hun and Son Ye-jin didn’t have decades’ worth of great performances under their belts, these performances would be considered breakouts, career peaks. Instead, it is par for the course for both of them, and the film greatly benefits from their immense talents. Here Lee plays a man who, despite his obvious good looks, underestimates himself. From his scribbles on his palms to his insistence on avoiding the dentist, he isn’t wholly confident and doesn’t want to appear weaker than. When faced with the realization that all his hard work and achievements are unable to save him and his family, a dark joke jolts him into action. He sets his sights on a position and figures out who exactly stands between him and that job. As a protagonist, Man-woo is easy to root for; his intentions are pure, but like his tooth, he may be rotten to the core. Even though he goes into a really terrible spiral that impacts others, the sincerity in how he moves makes him somewhat empathetic.
Son Ye-ji hasn’t met a role she couldn’t devour with ease. Miri is disarming; at first, you assume you know what her motivations and potential actions are. Her performance is complex, shifting and evolving as the film progresses. So much of her role is built on assumptions, but in actuality, she is the foil to Man-soo. They are navigating the situation together, but how they deal with it is what defines their relationship and who they are as people. Without getting into the third act, it is clear that Son and Lee have brilliant chemistry, and their characterizations are essential to understanding what parental unity may look like, even if it may be a touch dysfunctional.
No Other Choice is a poignant project underneath the shocks and laughs. There is a genuine story about the lengths one will go to secure their family’s future. As we’ve touched on, the directing is superb. The cast is vital, which includes the ensemble cast, Lee Sung-min, Yeom Hye-ran, Park Hee-soon, and Cha Seung-woon. I leave off Yoo Yeon-seok only because his role here is similar to that of his role in Tastefully Yours, a near-perfect show ruined by his presence. Park Chan-wook layers this film with many unexpected layers and reaches a climax that would not have worked with anyone else at the helm. The creativity and gumption to follow through with his interpretation of this story make this film a must-watch. It’s a long one, but the film is enthralling, surprising and oh so wickedly funny that the time flies by.
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