“No Other Choice,” a stunning, scathing and satirical black comedy directed by Park Chan-wook, did not disappoint. The South Korean film anchored itself among the year’s most exciting and unique releases through its use of superimposed shots, exploration of the themes of pressure and choice and its genre mix of comedy and horror.
The film follows Yoo Man-su (Lee Byung-hun) as he seeks employment through drastic measures. As a successful employee at a paper company, Man-su has done very well for himself and lives in his large childhood home with his wife, daughter and stepson. However, after the paper company he works for is bought out, Man-su loses his job and vows to find employment within three months. He decides to make fake advertisements for a paper company he “owns” as a way to scout out his competition by drawing in applicants for the fake company’s positions. Man-su chooses to kill the two most qualified applicants, whom he believes are the men that rival paper company Paper Moon would be most likely to hire. As Man-su carries out his plan, complications and difficulties abound, but he persists with nearly comical resolve — after all, he has no other choice.
In terms of the film’s technical elements, its cinematography, superimpositions and unique camera angles stood out most to me. Chan-wook primarily uses superimposed images during scene changes and in quiet moments. These superimpositions often manifest as the layering of buildings or names over a person’s face, likely symbolizing the perception of modern individuals as replaceable in the age of mechanization, a notion Chan-wook returns to in the final scene.
The story centers on identity and the meaning of individuality through Man-su’s mission to maintain his job and, by extension, his relevance. By blurring the lines between various moments of reality and collapsing them into a single moment through superimposition, Chan-wook visually represents the questions and fears surrounding what it means to be human and an individual. The filming itself also takes place from various unique angles. For example, shots from a low angle, looking up at Man-su as he attempts to kill his rivals, offer another literal representation of his momentary power. By contrast, the rest of the film’s shots show him from above eye level. Though he may have moments of power, the neutral but slightly overpowering angle is intentional in that it illustrates how Man-su’s domination is merely a conditional status.
While the cinematography of “No Other Choice” is visually exhilarating, I found the film’s themes and plot even more compelling given their incredible relevance today. For one, the film’s title serves as a question that echoes throughout the film and is overtly underscored by several characters who reference it. Chan-wook does not place the blame on Man-su for his crimes; in fact, he acknowledges that Man-su truly seems to have “no other choice.” Though Man-su might realistically not have had to kill the men, the pressures of capitalism seem to coerce him, making his murders inevitable. Somehow, Man-su maintains composure despite his descent into violence. However, his moral status remains ambivalent even at the end of the movie, as both he and his family come out victorious, hinting at a conclusion that praises dire actions if our situations are inescapable. Yet the ending also suggests irony: Man-su finds himself the only human in a factory full of machines. Now that he has successfully gotten rid of his human rivals, he must deal with the ominous growth of mechanical ones.
“No Other Choice” has much to offer in its visuals, performances and nuanced messages. Chan-wook has once again created a riveting film that will appeal to most audiences. I highly recommend the movie to anyone interested in exploring morality, identity and what these ideals mean to us today.
