The acclaimed South Korean director Park Chang Wook won the Venice Film Festival 20 years later. There he was greeted with a six-minute standing ovation for the twisted black comedy “No Other Choice.”
The audience was clearly excited to see Park and his main man, “Squid Game” star Lee Byung-han. The Friday night premiere began 30 minutes behind schedule, but while Luca Guadagnino’s #MeToo drama After the Hunt made his evening debut at the same venue and ran late, the crowd of “No Other Choice” was lively throughout the two-hour and 19-minute runtime.
The story, adapted from Donald E. Westlake’s mystery novel “The Axe,” follows a middle-aged man (Lee) who goes desperately long to get employment after being unexpectedly fired from a paper company he worked for 25 years. Man-Soo’s increasingly authenticable attempts lead to several wild on-screen moments, with audiences erupting in laughter and breathing in horror with several crazy sequences. There are no spoilers, but these audible responses were spurred by a massive amount of blood and dirt, as well as a rounded stomach scene containing pliers.
Park was soaked in a long standing ovation as he waved into the room and hugged each actor in the film. The ensemble cast, where most of them premiered, includes sons Ye Jin, Park Hee Thorne and Lee Sung Min. After 6 minutes of applause and screaming, the crowd quieted and began to be fooled from the venue until someone yelled, “Bravo!” And then another, a briefer round of applause.
Park, a well-known Korean film figure, is famous for writing and directing “Old Boy”, “Thirst”, and producing “The Handmaid”. He last appeared in a competition in Venice in 2005’s “Sympathy for Lady Wengenz.” Before Friday at the film’s official press conference, Park explained why it took him 20 years to return to Lido.
“There’s a very short answer. It’s actually a word,” Park said. “It’s ‘money’. ”
He has been working for 20 years to get a proper budget because “there are no other options,” but Park said he knew the film’s themes remained relevant.
“We all have a deep fear of employment and safety,” Park said through an interpreter. “No matter who you tell them over the course of 20 years, they always say, ‘It’s a very timely story,’ so I was able to work on this film for 20 years. It gave me the confidence to know that it is a film that will ultimately be made. ”
