No Other Choice

For 25 years, Man-su worked diligently as a supervisor in a paper factory, but he loses his job when an American company takes over the factory. Restructuring measures must be taken, people must be let go; the new owners have "no other choice". Finding a new job proves much more difficult than expected, and a year later Man-su is still unemployed. This, of course, has major consequences for his family; they have to tighten their belts even further. At his wits' end, Man-su decides to eliminate his competition in his quest for a new job. Literally...

In 1997, Donald E. Westlake published the (horror) novel The Ax, about a man who is willing to do “anything” to find a job. In 2005, the book was adapted into a film by Costa-Gavras under the title Le couperet. Director Park Chan-wook (Oldboy, The Handmaiden) has done it again in this pitch-black satire on free market thinking, dedicated to Costa-Gavras. Starring Lee Byung-hun (Squid Game) in the lead role.