“No Other Choice”, interview with director Park Chan-Wook and actor Lee Byung-hun

August 30, 2025 5

"No Other Choice", Director Park Chan-wook and actor Lee Byung-hun on predetermination, society and the balance between dark comedy and drama

"No Other Choice", interview with director Park Chan-Wook and actor Lee Byung-hun Gianluca De Angelis

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Park Chan-Wook and Lee Byung-hun, director and main actor, talk to FRED about “No Other Choice”, film in competition at Venice 82

During the 82nd edition of Venice International Film Festival we spoke with Park Chan-wook, director of the film “No Other Choice”, and with the main actor Lee Byung-hun. The film is in competition here at the festival and it is loosely based on the Donald Westlake book “The Axe“, telling the story of a man who gets fired from the paper factory where he has worked for all his life. From the desperation of this event and in the fatigue of seeking for a new job that increases day by day, he eventually makes a radical decision: eliminate the competition.

The interview

During our interview with FRED Film Radio, our guests Park Chan-Wook and Lee Byung-hun focused on predetermination of life, on the possibility of choosing a path different from the one that the society has already planned for us, but also on how the main character of this film is truly a global figure, with profoundly deep thematics and a subtle balance between irony and drama that are central both in the Korean society and in our entire world.

Plot

Man-su, a specialist in paper manufacturing with 25 years of experience, is so satisfied with life that he can truthfully tell himself, “I’ve got it all.” While happily passing his days with his wife Miri, their two children, and two dogs, Man-su is suddenly informed by his company that he has been fired.
“We’re sorry. We have no other choice.”
Feeling as if his head has been severed by an axe, Man-su vows to find a new job within the next three months for the sake of his family. Despite his firm resolve to turn his life around, Man-su spends over a year drifting from one job interview to another, eventually working in a retail store. He finds himself in danger of losing the very house he struggled so hard to buy.
Desperate, he visits Moon Paper unannounced and tries to hand over his CV, only to be humiliated by line manager Sun-chul. Man-su knows he is more qualified than anyone to work at Moon Paper, so he comes to a certain decision: If there is no opening for me, I’ll just have to get hired by creating an opening.

Written by: Gianluca De Angelis

Donald Westlake The Axe

Guest

Lee Byung-hun Park Chan-wook

Film

No other choice

Festival

Mostra del Cinema di Venezia

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