No Other Choice review: 'Deliriously entertaining' South Korean masterpiece is this year's Parasite
Oldboy and The Handmaiden director Park Chan-wook has premiered a "bleakly hilarious" comedy about economic anxiety at the Venice Film Festival, and it could be a huge international hit.
In 2019, Bong Joon-ho's Parasite debuted at the Cannes Film Festival to awestruck acclaim, and went onto be an Oscar-winning international hit. No Other Choice could be this year's equivalent. The latest masterpiece from Park Chan-wook, who directed Oldboy (2003) and co-produced Bong's Snowpiercer (2013), is another deliriously entertaining and continually surprising South Korean film which rails against today's economic realities, and which boasts an imaginatively staged death or two. Also, both films revolve around a gorgeous family home.
The house in question is owned by You Man-su, played by Lee Byung-hun (the Front Man in Squid Game). He was born there, and as an adult he dedicated himself to buying and restoring it, so now it's a perfect woodland home for him, his loving wife (Son Ye-jin), and their two children. "You know what I think now," he muses at the opening of the film, as he barbecues an eel in the blossom-filled front garden. "I've got it all." Uh oh.
After painting this cheekily ominous picture of domestic bliss, Park wastes no time in shredding it. Man-su has worked in the same paper factory for 25 years and is proud to have won a "pulp man of the year" award, so he is shocked when the factory's new American owners start cutting jobs, his included. The film then offers a heartrending but bleakly hilarious account of the humiliation of being downsized. Man-su and his former colleagues are encouraged to sit in a circle, chanting self-affirmation slogans while tapping their temples. And when he asks for an afternoon off from his temporary shelf-stacking job so that he can attend an interview, he is stripped of his boilersuit, and has to leave the building in his underwear.
A year later, the family is forced to make painful economies: no more Netflix! In a further three months, they will have to sell their cherished house to a neighbour they loathe. It's at this point that Man-su forms a desperate plan. If he murders the person who has the job he wants, and murders everyone in the area who might be qualified for the same job, then his worries will be over. But he hasn't realised what a messy and complicated business murder can be. And he hasn't realised that, as fellow "pulp men", his targets will be uncomfortably similar to him. Essentially, he will be trying to kill different versions of himself.
No Other Choice is adapted from Donald E. Westlake's 1997 novel, The Axe, which was turned into a film by Costa-Gavras in 2005, but Park makes it his own, fashioning a macabre, moving black comedy that boasts the most rib-tickling serial-killing spree since Kind Hearts and Coronets. Man-su could be seen as a distant relation of the hammer-wielding anti-hero in Park's classic revenge thriller, Oldboy, as both men are ordinary citizens who are turned into assassins when their lives are suddenly upended. But the tone of his new film is so different that, if you hadn't seen Oldboy, Lady Vengeance or The Handmaiden, you might guess that Park had been making rollicking tragicomedies throughout his career.
VOCABULARY
has premiered – has been shown or performed to the public for the first time.
Titanic premiered (was shown) on December 19, 1997.
bleakly hilarious – very funny but in a dark or depressing way.
The movie’s ending was bleakly hilarious (funny and dark), turning a tragedy into an absurd punchline that left the audience laughing in discomfort.
awestruck acclaim – praise or admiration filled with amazement.
Gladiator went on (later became) to be an Oscar-winning international hit.
went on to be an Oscar-winning international hit – later became a globally popular success that won an Academy Award.
deliriously entertaining – extremely enjoyable in a wild, exciting, or overwhelming way.
The play was deliriously entertaining (extremely enjoyable), keeping the audience laughing nonstop from beginning to end.
rails against today’s economic realities – strongly criticises the financial problems people face today.
He constantly rails against (criticises) the traffic in the city, even though he refuses to take the train.
woodland home – a house located in or near a forest.
She dreamed of escaping city life and building a simple woodland home (near the forest).
he muses – he thinks or reflects deeply, often out loud.
In moments of quiet, he would muse (contemplate) on the mysteries of life.
blossom-filled garden – a garden full of flowers in bloom.
They held their wedding ceremony in a serene, blossom-filled (full of flowers) garden.
cheekily ominous picture – an image that is playfully naughty but also hints at something threatening.
In the gallery, a cheekily ominous (playfully naughty and threatening) picture caught everyone’s eye with its mix of humour and menace (threat).
domestic bliss – a happy and peaceful home life.
They celebrated their anniversary surrounded by friends and children, a scene of pure domestic bliss (happy home life).
shredding – tearing something into small pieces (often paper).
His confidence felt like it was shredding (tearing) with every criticism.
pulp man of the year – a fictional or humorous award given in a sensational, exaggerated style (like pulp magazines).
cutting jobs – reducing the number of people employed.
The factory is cutting jobs (reducing) to reduce costs, leaving many workers uncertain about their future.
heartrending – causing deep sadness or heartbreak.
She read a heartrending (heartbreaking) letter from a child living in poverty.
be downsized – lose one’s job because a company is reducing staff.
Many employees feared their positions might be downsized (lost, fired) during the company merger.
tapping their temples – touching the side of their heads, usually to suggest thinking or “use your brain.”
The students would often tap their temples when trying to remember a tricky formula.
shelf-stacking job – work where someone fills shelves in a store with products.
A shelf-stacking job involves organising and replenishing products on store shelves.
stripped of his boilersuit – had his work overalls removed.
After the accident, he was stripped of his boilersuit (had his work overalls removed) to treat the injuries more easily.
It’s at this point that… – a phrase used to mark a significant moment in a story.
After a long ride, he turned left. It’s at this point that he saw the sign for the village.
fashioning a macabre – creating something grim, disturbing, or death-related.
The author was fashioning a macabre tale inspired by old legends and ghost stories.
rib-tickling – very funny; makes you laugh a lot.
The comedian’s performance was absolutely rib-tickling, leaving the audience in stitches (laugh a lot).
hammer-wielding – holding and using a hammer.
In the horror story, a hammer-wielding figure lurked (waited) in the shadows, terrifying the villagers.
serial-killing spree – a series of murders committed one after another by the same person.
The detective worked tirelessly to stop the criminal before the serial-killing spree claimed more victims.
(their lives are suddenly) upended – their lives are completely turned upside down or disrupted
The storm upended the small boat, tossing passengers into the water.
Her unexpected resignation upended the company’s carefully laid plans
rollicking tragicomedies – lively, fun stories that mix comedy with tragedy.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20250830-no-other-choice-review-parasite-venice-film-festival
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