TIFF 2025: No Other Choice Review

This will be one of many reviews during this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, to keep up with our latest coverage, click here.

There is just something about TIFF and commentaries on the working class from Korean greats. The most recent film to come to mind is of course 2019’s Parasite from writer-director Bong Joon Ho, and now, Park Chan-wook hits the festival with his latest, No Other Choice. Premiering at this past Venice Film Festival (and earning a nomination for the best film of the festival), this dark comedy is an ode to the everyday workingman whose role has found itself systematically reduced over the last few decades, often a victim of automation and/or corporate greed. Based on the book “The Ax” by Donald E. Westlake, the film tells a very human story about a man facing uncertain times while trying to take care of his family. A position where many audiences have inevitably found themselves in, this story is about someone who resorted to unorthodox methods to do something about it. That being said, however one may disagree with his methods, they are understandable. Almost lyrical in nature, it finds plenty of beauty amidst the chaos, as the beautiful cinematography and score make the film feel dreamlike, though the subject matter is more akin to a nightmare. While absolutely hilarious, its indictment of the evolving (or devolving) Korean working class structure bites just as hard. Propelled by a terrific script and lead performance from Lee Byung-hun, the result is one of the best films of the year so far.

After devoting 25 years of his life as a manger for a paper company, amateur horticulturist Man-soo (Lee Byung-hun) found himself relived of his duty as a recent acquisition saw the company follow the directive of their new owners and downsize and/or restructure their staff. Gearing themselves for the future, they did not see him as part of it. Now without a job, he and his family’s savings were merely a temporary shield for the reality that would soon catch up with them. As years passed and Man-soo was still without a job, his family faced its share of struggles in trying to make ends meet, at least until he devised a potential solution to his employment troubles. The paper industry had grown leaps and bounds since he first started, but it was all he knew so he vowed to get himself back with a new job in paper by any necessary. Once a new job was available, Man-soo’s plan was to literally eliminate the competition. Spending most of his day floundering while under the guise of seeking job interviews, the struggle was real. Though seeing the light at the end of the tunnel gave him a second wind, the ultimate challenge proved to be doing all of it under the nose of his family who grew concerned of his behavior.

In the end, the best part of No Other Choice is Man-soo’s arc over the course of the film, essentially grieving the loss of his job. An everyman is every sense, he was the furthest thing from a criminal mastermind so the way he want about his business had an inherent awkwardness that is equal parts hilarious and heartbreaking. While exaggerated, that struggle is real therefore many will find themselves connecting to the story, not only for the script, but for Lee Byung-hun’s performance. Though the film may be a touch too long, it is a minor gripe that should go largely unnoticed.

There is no other choice but to see No Other Choice as soon as it is released in theatres near you.

still courtesy of Elevation Pictures

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.