Director Park Chan-wook’s latest black comedy thriller, No Other Choice, stars Lee Byung-hun as Man-su, a papermaking professional driven to extremes after losing his job to an American acquisition. Struggling with family responsibilities—including a wife, two children, costly cello lessons, and a substantial mortgage—Man-su concocts a darkly comedic plan: eliminating competitors with superior qualifications in his field. Known for critically acclaimed works such as Oldboy, The Handmaiden, and Decision To Leave, Park’s new film examines human desperation, technological change, and the pressures of corporate capitalism, blending suspense with incisive dark humor.

Park explains that his approach is guided less by genre than by life itself. “Comedy and tragedy are inseparable,” he notes, reflecting the emotional complexity of real experiences where laughter often coexists with sadness. This philosophy shapes No Other Choice, where the absurd and the horrifying unfold simultaneously.

The film also touches on Artificial Intelligence (AI). Park cites Terminator-like imagery of AI-managed factories as both inspiration and caution. While he hopes AI will support creativity rather than replace human jobs, he stresses that AI is fundamentally different from traditional tools like VFX. His vision is a collaborative future in which humans and AI create together.

Cultural identity is another central theme. Park laments that Western audiences still misunderstand Korean history and traditional arts, from architecture and fashion to ceramics. He emphasizes Korea’s unique artistic heritage, distinct from that of neighboring Japan and China, and hopes this subtlety gains wider recognition.

No Other Choice underwent significant adaptation from its initial American concept to a Korean narrative, including the removal of a masquerade scene—though Pocahontas remained pivotal—and the addition of bunjae (penjing or bonsai) as Man-su’s hobby. Park highlights bunjae as more than decoration; it embodies Man-su’s worldview, visualized strikingly in his son’s nightmare.

Looking ahead, Park is open to directing in multiple languages, whether English, Korean, Japanese, or French, for film or television. While he declines to name specific collaborators, he expresses interest in working with talented artists worldwide, from Korea to Hong Kong and beyond.

No Other Choice underscores Park Chan-wook’s continued mastery of blending moral complexity, dark humor, and cinematic craftsmanship, inviting audiences to examine the extremes of human behavior in an ever-changing world.