No Other Choice Becomes South Korea’s Official Oscar Submission After Slaying Venice Film Festival; Could This Be Next Parasite?
No Other Choice, directed by Park Chan-Wook has become South Korea’s official submission to the Best International Feature category of the Academy Awards. The Korean Film Council confirmed its pick. This comes days after the Son Ye-Jin and Lee Byung-Hun starrer received a massive critical acclaim and a standing ovation at the Venice International Film Festival.
No Other Choice for Oscars
On September 3, Variety confirmed the news about No Other Choice’s Oscar submission selection. The decision was made via a jury chaired by Parasite producer Kwak Sin-Ae. Its other members included producer and president of the Producers’ Guild of Korea Lee Dong-ha (Train To Busan), director Shin Su-Won and actor Jang Hye-Jin (Parasite).
The committee discussed the elements that prompted the members to select No Other Choice. They said it was “considered the most competitive film among all entries, across all criteria” and “a highly polished black comedy, where the protagonist’s antisocial behavior, driven by his desire for home, becomes compelling.” It was “the film that stands out for its outstanding quality and excellent performances.”
No Other Choice – the next Parasite?
This has left many in the audience comparing No Other Choice with 2019 classic Parasite, which won the Academy Award for Best Picture at the 92nd Academy Awards, becoming the first non-English-language film to win Oscars for the category. The kind of rave reviews that No Other Choice has been receiving seem to be on similar lines.
About No Other Choice
No Other Choice marks the maiden collaboration between Hallyu stars Son Ye-Jin and Lee Byung-Hun. It is based on the US novel The Ax by Donald E. Westlake. It revolves around Man-Soo, an employee who suddenly gets fired from his paper manufacturing company, and is determined to find a new job even if it means stopping anyone in his way. Son, who plays Lee’s resilient wife A-Ra, is a bright-hearted woman who tries to support her husband after his unemployment. The desperate husband concocts a grimly audacious plan to identify and kill his fellow job applicants so that he is the only qualified person left.