The latest film from director Park Chan-wook, No Other Choice follows Yoo Man-su as he loses his job of twenty-five years at the paper mill. As he begins a series of applications and interviews, he soon finds he is not alone, and many other qualified career veterans are up against him for the same positions. His chances are slim to none, and his brief stint out of the job turns into over a year of unemployment and low-wage work. Desperate, he turns to a radically different strategy, convinced, as the title says, that he has no other choice.
Because this is a Park Chan-wook movie, the immediate turn towards the unhinged did not surprise me, but I was still shocked by just how funny this film is. Man-su’s plan is amateurish and only half-thought-out. We see the consequences of this constantly, and you’re on the edge of your seat wondering whether he’s going to get out of this moment unscathed or the whole thing will blow up in his face. Both happen (depending on the scene), but it’s all magnificent to watch.
The cinematography is gorgeous. Chan-wook continues his ongoing trend of unique, breathtaking shots, and though he hasn’t worked with cinematographer Kim Woo-hyung before, I’d love to see what magic they could make together again. So many scenes just left my jaw on the ground as the movie used the camera to reshape the events of scenes, alternating between close and extremely far shots. One scene in particular (in the office with the loud music) is so masterfully executed that I can’t stop thinking about it. It’s always a joy to see a film that really feels like art for so much of its runtime, and No Other Choice delivers in spades.
I loved watching Lee Byung-hun in Netflix’s Squid Game, but he’s really stepped it up in this performance. Despite the lengths and the absurdity to which Man-su goes, Byung-hun gives an authentic performance that you don’t doubt for a second. Even when he grovels, cries and growls in manners that almost feel primal, he never feels inhuman. The entire cast is very strong, and no scene feels lesser without leads to carry the story. Everyone does such an incredible job at carrying the mood, even as major ideas remain unspoken.
The movie’s title is repeated ad nauseam throughout the movie’s runtime, and it’s purposeful. Though everyone from the high-powered CEOs to the low-wage coworkers states that they have “no other choice” than to do what they’re doing, some of them clearly have more power than others. The movie’s central idea is related to the labor market and the increasing automation throughout multiple industries. For those who spend a career in a single field, choosing something new at such a late stage of life can feel impossible and the job field is simply not big enough to account for the number of positions eliminated by new emerging technology.
I loved this movie. If I’d been able to sneak it in before January, it would have made my Best Of list. Incredibly unhinged and darkly hilarious, No Other Choice absolutely nails the story and its themes without feeling forced or preachy. If you haven’t seen a Park Chan-wook movie before, this is a great time to start.
