The 82nd Venice International Film Festival competition institutional sector selection and the opening film of the 30th Busan International Film Festival, No Other Choice (director Park Chan-wook), promises special fun through the synergy of diverse characters.
#1. An object of admiration and envy to 'Mansu'!
The successful paper company foreman 'Seonchul'
No Other Choice depicts the story that unfolds as Mansu (Lee Byung-hun), an office worker who felt his life was so satisfying that he felt "he had achieved everything," is suddenly fired and prepares his own war toward reemployment to protect his wife and two children and to hold on to the home he managed to acquire with great difficulty. As a realistic story stemming from the unemployment of an ordinary head of household, No Other Choice, which evokes broad sympathy, will offer rich entertainment through the appearance of Mansu, who lost his job, and the various characters surrounding him.
As Mansu, who was struggling to find reemployment, learns about Seonchul (Park Hee-soon), the foreman of the thriving paper company [Moon Paper] even amid the downturn. The life of Seonchul seen through social media appears to have everything without lack, stoking Mansu's envy and jealousy. Seonchul, who combines macho exuberance with a delicate side, will add urgency to the drama with a mercurial attitude that shifts depending on the situation. In particular, director Park Chan-wook said, "Seonchul is the kind of person who has the rough side Mansu hides. He is a character in whom masculinity is maximized, while also having a warm side," increasing curiosity about Seonchul's multilayered facets.
#2. Mansu's two potential rivals!
Veteran Beommmo desperate for reemployment & Sijo hardened in the industry
Having started his own war, Mansu sets out to find competitors in the same industry. A potential rival, Beommmo (Lee Sung-min), is a figure who has spent his life at paper companies and continues a long job search with the sole goal of reemployment in the paper industry. Relying on alcohol and living a listless daily life, Beommmo becomes entangled with Mansu after a new paper company job posting, steering the plot in unpredictable directions. Another potential rival, Sijo (Cha Seung-won), was skilled at operating machines in a paper factory but, after being fired, makes a living as a shoe store manager.
Despite difficult circumstances, he did not show it and greeted customers kindly, and by forming a sense of shared experience of unemployment with Mansu, who visited the store, he will inject a tense, precarious energy into the development. Director Park Chan-wook described Beommmo as "an analog person who enjoys old music. Both Beommmo and his wife Ara are emotionally rich and hot-tempered," and said of Sijo, "He shows Mansu's gentle side. He treats people politely and is a person who wants to help," predicting an unusual story created by characters of varied personalities. With the synergy of diverse characters in different situations, No Other Choice, which raises expectations, will dominate theaters with a new kind of fun never seen before.
With a meeting of trusted actors, dramatic development, beautiful mise-en-scène, solid direction, and even black comedy added, director Park Chan-wook's new film No Other Choice is scheduled to open on the 24th.
[Photo] Provided by CJ ENM
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