| Director: | Park Chan-wook |
|---|---|
| Production: | Moho Film (Park Chan-wook, Back Jisun), KG Productions (Michèle Ray Gavras, Alexandre Gavras) |
| Running Time: | 139’ |
| Language: | Korean |
| Country: | South Korea |
| Main Cast: | Lee Byung-hun, Son Ye-jin, Park Hee-soon, Lee Sung-min, Yeom Hye-ran, Cha Seung-won |
| Screenplay: | Park Chan-wook, Lee Kyoung-mi, Don McKellar, Jahye Lee |
| Cinematographer: | Kim Woo-hyung |
| Editor: | Kim Sang-beom, Kim Ho-bin |
| Production Designer: | Ryu Seong-hie |
| Costume Designer: | Cho Sang-kyung |
| Music: | Cho Young-wuk |
| Sound: | Kim Suk Won |
| Visual Effects: | Lee Seungje |
Cinema
Eojjeol suga eopda (No Other Choice)
Venezia 82 Competition
Synopsis
Man-su, a specialist in paper manufacturing with 25 years of experience, is so satisfied with life that he can truthfully tell himself, “I’ve got it all.” While happily passing his days with his wife Miri, their two children, and two dogs, Man-su is suddenly informed by his company that he has been fired.
“We’re sorry. We have no other choice.”
Feeling as if his head has been severed by an axe, Man-su vows to find a new job within the next three months for the sake of his family. Despite his firm resolve to turn his life around, Man-su spends over a year drifting from one job interview to another, eventually working in a retail store. He finds himself in danger of losing the very house he struggled so hard to buy.
Desperate, he visits Moon Paper unannounced and tries to hand over his CV, only to be humiliated by line manager Sun-chul. Man-su knows he is more qualified than anyone to work at Moon Paper, so he comes to a certain decision: If there is no opening for me, I’ll just have to get hired by creating an opening.
Director’s Statement
Some time ago, I read a novel called The Ax. I picked it up because it was written by Donald E. Westlake, who wrote the novel behind Point Blank, one of my all-time favourite films. When reading The Ax, I found myself identifying with the protagonist — a man who believes that paper manufacturing is his entire life, whether the world acknowledges it or not. I feel the same way about filmmaking, so I could easily understand the protagonist who believes there is a certain way the head of a family and a man should be, and lives his life accordingly. After all, I’m also a man with a family of my own.
But back then, I had no idea it would take me twenty years to make this film.
Production/Distribution
PRODUCTION 1:
Moho Film - Chan-wook Park, Jisun Back
240 Kintex-ro
10391 Ilsanseo-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, Korea (Republic of)
Tel: +82 2.3675.4430
E-mail: moho@moho.co.kr
PRODUCTION 2:
KG Productions - Michèle Ray Gavras, Alexandre Gavras
36, Rue Lebour
93100 Montreuil, France
Tel: +33 6 08 99 82 77
E-mail: michele@kgproductions.fr
WORLD SALES:
CJ ENM Co., Ltd. - Claire Bhang
66, Sangamsan-ro
03926 Mapo-gu, Seoul, Korea (Republic of)
Tel: +82 10 3342 4041
E-mail: bokyeong.bhang@cj.net
ITALIAN DISTRIBUTION:
Lucky Red - Alessandra Tieri
Largo Italo Gemini, 1
00161 Roma, Italia
Tel: +39 06 3759 204
E-mail: a.tieri@luckyred.it
INTERNATIONAL PRESS OFFICE:
Claudia Tomassini, Lorenzo Ormando - claudiatomassini + associates
E-mail: festivals@claudiatomassini.com
PRESS OFFICE 2:
Cinetic
E-mail: courtney@cineticmedia.com
ITALIAN PRESS OFFICE:
Alessandra Tieri – Lucky Red
Largo Italo Gemini, 1
00161 Roma, Italia
Tel: +39 335 848 0787
E-mail: a.tieri@luckyred.it
