NO OTHER CHOICE

In NO OTHER CHOICE, acclaimed Korean auteur Park Chan-wook (OLDBOY, DECISION TO LEAVE) delivers a wickedly satirical thriller that slices into the brutal realities of modern work culture and the quiet desperation for material security. Superstar Lee Byung-hun (HIFF 2005 Honoree) gives a riveting, slyly humorous performance as Man-soo, a devoted husband and father who, after decades at a paper company, suddenly finds himself cast aside. As his jobless months stretch on, anxiety curdles into ruthless resolve, and Man-soo resorts to increasingly outrageous—and shockingly violent—schemes to win favor with a new employer. Adapted from Donald E. Westlake’s novel ''The Ax'' and transposed to our precarious present, Park orchestrates the descent with his signature blend of extravagance, menace, and pitch-black comedy. The result is a dark fable as enthralling as it is unsettling, culminating in a brilliantly bitter finale that lingers like a scar.