No Other Choice

Social media coaches haven't picked up on this employment strategy yet.

Finally a movie for all your jobless friends. Not only will they be entertained, they'll learn something. Just make sure they're not horticulture experts and that they don't own North Korean firearms.

Social commentary here is debatable. It doesn't really matter, though. Park Chan-wook is still endlessly creative with his material, from his camera angles to his editing.

While the opening scenes set up a thriller with a formula, you soon realize that it's comedic pathos that follows its own rhythm.

By the way, these are the effects of writing everything on your phone. Buy some notebooks once in a while.

In an era where AI and robots are replacing labor, the value of human existence is rapidly diminishing, even threatening the very survival of craftsmanship and intangible heritage. This film captures, with both bitterness and irony, the unease that comes with the march of civilization. Park Chan-wook's signature mise-en-scène and artificial allure shine once again here, as he stages the inevitable dilemma of humans forced to point their guns at one another with a kind of chaotic humor. Among his filmography, this is arguably his most maximalist work, with a raucous ensemble of performances and sound design that gives palpable weight to the spaces they inhabit.

A portrait of our lives in a rapidly changing age, the film also quietly weaves in reflections on family.

"Paper has fed me for 25 years. Honey, I have no other choice." Park Chan-wook, master of black comedy, definitively already a living legend, delivers yet another masterpiece. So dark, so funny. The plot takes quite a while to fully kick in. But once it does, the film is unstoppably riveting. A flawless central performance from Lee Byung-hun, and fantastic turns from the rest of the cast.🔥

Park Chan-wook delivers a witty, black comedy short that exposes the dehumanization of modern labor, blending humor and social critique in a visually precise, intelligent style. The film uses irony and paradox to highlight workplace contradictions, keeping audiences engaged while making a sharp commentary on contemporary work culture.

Despite its cleverness, the short runtime limits character and theme development, leaving some ideas only partially explored. Repetitive moments and compressed storytelling prevent the film from achieving a higher emotional or philosophical impact, keeping it just short of true brilliance.

Overall, No Other Choice is an impressive, visually polished critique of modern work that reflects Park Chan-wook's signature mastery of tone, irony, and social satire, making it a must-watch for fans of intelligent black comedy.

"No Other Choice" is the latest from Korean director Park Chan-wook. I saw it in a film festival and assume it will be more widely available here in the States in the near future.

When the story begins, you see that Man-soo has a good life. He's a manager at a paper plant, has a lovely wife, two kids and lives in an amazingly lovely home. Life is good...and then one day he is fired. Being an older worker, he has a lot of difficulty finding work and later, in desperation, he comes upon the idea of killing his competition for jobs!

To say this movie is dark is an understatement! It's very darkly comical and it's certainly NOT the sort of thing you'd expect to come from Hollywood. It's very well acted, very engaging and is well worth seeing. Not for everyone, however, as it is a bit bloody and nasty, but I think the director did a good job not overwhelming the audience with gore.