Park Chan-wook’s 12th feature-length film, no other choiceThe story opens with Man-su (Lee Byung-hun) as a proud patron at a barbecue, a vision of the idealistic home life that he will spend most of the film trying to protect. In the long middle where life is lived, the film offers its audience joy and compassion and deep social criticism. Also: murders. After being fired from a paper company, Man-su realizes that his best chance of being hired for the next job is to beat out three other qualified candidates.
Adapted from the novel by Donald Westlake Axe, no other choice Captures – in the most delightful and moving way – the persistent and insoluble anxiety of living under an economic system built around extracting surplus value from its workers. Or is it the deep irony that if a corporation makes a person redundant, it is through strategy; If any human being also does this then it is a crime.
With this film, not to mention his earlier works old boy And maidPark established himself as a director who deeply understands that tragedy and comedy cannot be separated. Here, the tragedy that life must be lived, that we must work at all, that so much in this life actually depends on this work, is contrasted with the comedy of how someone like Man-su solves this impossible puzzle for himself.
The Verge spoke with Park about his source material, his relationship with artificial intelligence, and how he recovers after wrapping a photo.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
The Verge: Have you ever been fired from a job?
Park Chan-wook: Mercifully, that never happened to me. This type of thing happens really often in our industry. I’ve been lucky enough to avoid that fate, but there have been times when I’ve been afraid of being let go. While working on any project, there comes a time when differences of opinion arise between the studio or the producer. In that instance, whenever I stubbornly stick to my original position, I do so knowing that I am putting myself in that kind of danger.
And when a film comes and it doesn’t do well, there comes the fear that I won’t be able to get a job again, or I won’t be able to raise funds for my next project.
But also fear is not something that accompanies you especially after receiving your report card from the box office. This fear stays with you throughout the entire process of filmmaking. It stays with you from the initial planning stages of a film. And then if the film doesn’t do well, that fear grows and never goes away. It is always near you.
At the screening I attended, you said you first encountered the source material, the Donald Westlake novel. AxeThrough your love for film point blankWhich you cite as your favorite noir. Do you remember how you discovered the film, and are there other Westlake novels you’re curious about?
point blank It’s a film directed by British director John Boorman and I watched it for two reasons. The first is that I’ve always liked John Boorman. The first Boorman film I saw Excalibur,
Second, I’m a fan of actor Lee Marvin. Because point blank It was a collaboration between a director I like and an actor I also like, I’ve always wanted to see it. But the film was difficult to access in Korea for a long time, so it was only later that I got a chance to see it.
As for Westlake, surprisingly not many of his books are in translation. He Axe Being translated into Korean was an anomaly in itself. And so I have read only a few of his books.
you are trying to make no other choice Till 16 years. You also said that you tried to go to Hollywood first. how come?
Since the novel was written on an American background, I naturally thought that making an American film based on it would be the best option. At that time I had already made it old boy, thirst, Lady VengeanceAnd stokerAnd so making a film in America wasn’t intimidating.
What was the most common feedback you received in these early years?
In 2010, we secured the rights and began actively pursuing the project. Initially, we met with French investors. Although it was an American movie shot in America, we met French investors thanks to Michel Rey-Gavras’s wife. [director] Costa-Gavras, who was one of our producers, and through him we contacted different studios from France to the United States.
Since then, I kept getting offers that were a little less than I wanted, which is why I couldn’t possibly accept them.
As far as the studio’s notes go, beyond anything else, they doubted whether viewers would believe Man-su would resort to murder because he had lost his job. They wanted to know how I would bring the audience along.
Furthermore, people’s sense of humor was slightly different. Some said this part is not funny. Others said that part wasn’t funny. We faced some challenges.
You mentioned there are Easter eggs scattered throughout the film and I’m curious about them. You mention that the oven mitt that Man-su uses during his assassination attempt can later be seen in his kitchen. A Christmas stocking from the same scene can be seen in a family photo in the background. What other details should be considered?
I cannot guarantee that a framed photo with a Santa Claus costume can be viewed properly. We had it on set during filming. In fact, we gathered the whole family, dressed them up, and took pictures specifically for that framed picture. But I don’t know if it actually appears in the final movie. However, it will definitely be in the extended cut I’m preparing for the Blu-ray release.
And rather than considering it an Easter egg, it might be more accurate to consider it part of creating a believable world for the actors. So that once the actors enter that world, they feel like they can become their characters more easily. And for that confidence and feeling of stable reality, it is better to focus on props or something else spatially. The more ideas, the better.
The AI appears at the end of the film, which I assume was not part of your original idea when you started the project. When did you know about adding AI to the film?
Had this been made into an American film such a plot would not have been available. This happened because the process took so long to contain the issue.
Any director making a film about employment or unemployment would be making a big mistake not mentioning AI. Also – and this was important to me – by the end, Man-su’s family comes to grips with what he has done in the name of the family. Of course, Man-su isn’t entirely sure he knows, but the audience knows. Whatever he does for his family will lead to his downfall. All their efforts are in vain, which mirrors the situation with AI.
They diligently eliminated their human competitors to secure jobs. But at his new workplace he faces a competitor more formidable than any mortal. Meaning Man-Su probably won’t last long before the AI takes over. He would lose his job, once again, at what point, what was all this for? Why were the murders committed? This too can be seen as a hugely wasted effort.
Therefore, the introduction of AI technology was a great addition to the film from a creative perspective.
How do you feel about the use of AI in film? Will you use it in your work? I have a feeling the answer is “no”.
I hope that never happens.
It is not easy for young film students out there. And if there was a technology that would allow them to make their own movies at a lower cost, which was not possible before, then who could stop them? It would not be possible to tell them not to do so.
What is the question? no other choice Is he asking?
People who have come into the middle class, who have become accustomed to a certain way of life, and have not inherited it, have acquired it of their own free will – for people of that class, it will be very difficult to give up all this. Slipping from that station will be challenging to accept. I would definitely have a hard time accepting it.
Of course, that doesn’t mean I’m going to commit murder – three, no less – but it is an impossible situation.
“My child desperately needs private cello lessons. Not only that, it is an important part of his becoming an independent adult.” It will be very difficult to leave it. I’m imagining what I might be able to do in such a scenario.
I wanted to create a space where people could ask themselves this question. Not just to criticize Man-su, but to ask ourselves, what would have happened, what could have happened, if there was such a person in such a situation? It is an exercise in imagination.
What was the most difficult time in your career and how did you overcome it?
When my first two films failed at the box office. before i make applicationThe time between the first film and the second film and between the second film and the third film was the most difficult. I had no choice but to go around with my script – man-su not unlike my resume – looking for producers and studio executives. I was often rejected. Those were difficult times.
By then I was married and had dependents and so I took up film criticism to earn a living. Being a film critic is a great profession, but it wasn’t what I wanted, so I had to suffer. Also, I wanted to make my own film, but instead I was limited to analyzing other people’s films. If I saw a classic movie, I would be filled with envy. The reality that demanded I live that way was also making fun of my pain, a kind of taunt. But I had no other means of survival.
What will you work on next?
Actually, I have two projects ready already. I have a Western script that has been written and revised several times. There’s also a sci-fi action movie that I haven’t written the script for yet, but I’ve prepared a pretty involved treatment for it.
How do you recover after shooting a film?
Luckily, I’m traveling with Lee Byung-hun at the moment. I could probably have a glass of wine with that. He’s pretty serious about alcohol, and so if I drink with him, I’ll definitely drink something good.
Do you have any deep, profound advice for young filmmakers?
In film school, you can learn some lessons from your instructors. You can also learn from directors who are already successful. If you’re a fan of the genre, you can study the tradition of your chosen genre.
That’s all very well, but before anything else, the first order of things is to really have your own voice. And examine yourself honestly. And to tell the story that comes spontaneously from within. Spontaneity is the most important thing in my opinion. Not to say “this is popular,” or “people like this,” but what is the true thing that comes from your own and inner self? Follow that formula honestly.
Of course this is easy for me to say – anyone can say it – but putting it into practice is another matter entirely.
no other choice In select theaters on December 25, 2025, with a wide release planned for January.
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