Aucun autre choix

The film No Other Choice portrays the unfolding of a most improbable event-serial murder-arising inevitably from circumstances that could happen to anyone: aging, unemployment, family troubles. From the moment I stepped into the black comedy the writer and director intended, I couldn't take my eyes off the screen for nearly three hours of running time. Not a single scene feels wasted; every moment seems meticulously crafted, inspiring admiration for the care put into its making. The aesthetic beauty characteristic of director Park Chan-wook-his mastery of harmonizing mise-en-scène and music-permeates every dark corner of the film. The occasional bursts of sharp, ironic humor are also exceptional.

We come to resent the phrase "there was no other choice" and those who use it as an excuse, yet at the same time, we feel deep compassion for the villains who struggle to do their best before their families and before life itself. In the end, the film delivers a powerful message: this question concerns us all.

"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.

I went into No Other Choice with pretty high expectations, mostly because so many people kept comparing it to Parasite and other big Korean films. And honestly, you can feel the filmmakers really tried to make something meaningful. It's a very good-looking movie - sometimes even kind of breathtaking. The cinematography stood out the most for me: the lighting, the framing, the whole atmosphere. You can tell this wasn't done on autopilot or rushed.

But even with all that, the film didn't fully work for me. It tries to mix satire, drama and thriller elements, and it never really finds a stable balance. Some of the tone shifts felt a bit off. Maybe it's also me not connecting with that specific type of Korean humor, but the satirical stuff didn't land at all. And the dramatic moments felt a little pushed, like they were supposed to hit harder than they actually do. The thriller part also never built the tension I was waiting for.

There are interesting ideas here, and I do respect the ambition behind it. I wouldn't call the movie bad - it's clearly made with care and a lot of effort. It just isn't in the same league as Parasite or anything from Park Chan-wook.

It aims pretty high, and I appreciate that, but the final result feels more like something that "looks" artistic rather than something that really hits emotionally or narratively.

You can clearly feel the influences and structures from Parasite, but the film never reaches the same consistency or impact - every scene in Parasite worked perfectly, while here it mostly feels like an attempt.

So yeah, I'm giving it a 6/10. Mostly because the visual side is fantastic and you can see the work behind it. I just wish the story and the tone matched the quality of the images.

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.