Director Park Chan-wook Discusses the Humor in South Korea’s Oscar Submission ‘No Other Choice’ and Lee Byung Hun’s Thoughts on Its Comedy
Film Adaptation of Donald E. Westlake’s Novel Marks 20-Year Journey for Park Chan-wook
Park Chan-wook’s latest film has finally premiered after nearly two decades in development, initiated when he first encountered Donald E. Westlake’s 1997 novel, The Ax. Initially aiming to shoot in Canada and the U.S., the producer’s suggestion to set the story in South Korea transformed the project’s trajectory.
The film features Lee Byung-hun as Man-soo, a dedicated employee who finds himself laid off by the new owners of the paper mill where he devoted 25 years. Faced with unemployment and a fiercely competitive job market, Man-soo resorts to an unconventional solution.
“I found all of that very ironic,” Park explained. “As a result, he doesn’t go for the enemy that has given him a hard time. In contrast, he goes after people who are in a similar situation as himself, those that he can understand best and perhaps, if they met under different conditions, would have become friends. He finds these men who are in the same pitiful situation that he’s in, and he has to eliminate them.”
Under Park’s direction, Westlake’s grim horror-thriller evolves into a darkly comedic tale, heightened by Lee’s physically expressive, at times almost slapstick, performance that portrays Man-soo’s desperation with striking clarity.
“After reading the screenplay,” Park noted, “the first question that Lee asked me was, ‘Can it be funny?’ My response was, ‘The funnier the better — you can make it as comedic as you want.’ And after that, like playing a game of ping pong, we would throw a funny idea at each other, then develop it further on our own, and throw it back at the other person. That constant development of humor has led to the film that you see today.”
The film promises to deliver a unique blend of dark humor and suspense, showcasing the complexities of human desperation amidst societal pressures.
