Park Chan-wook's 'No Other Choice' premieres at Venice, explores bourgeois respectability and latent violence

Park Chan-wook's new film 'No Other Choice' had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival and will be released in Italian cinemas on January 1, 2026. The film follows Man-su, a paper production specialist with 25 years of experience who is suddenly laid off. He struggles to find new employment, facing humiliating rejections, and eventually decides to create a job for himself. The film blends black comedy and moral tragedy, refusing to separate genres. Park Chan-wook rejects the idea of balancing humor and social criticism, treating them as a single entity. The protagonist is played by Lee Byung-hun, known for 'Squid Game', who portrays Man-su as contradictory: affectionate and authoritarian, fragile and stubborn. The film is based on Donald E. Westlake's novel 'The Ax' but diverges in its ending. Park Chan-wook spent twenty years developing the film, which he says looks at the present without indulgence, showing the thin line between a man doing his duty and losing himself in the process. The film is distributed by Lucky Red.