No Other Choice

I don't think I'm alone in being surprised that Park Chan-Wook's latest -- A highly topical, original, pitch-black comedy on the challenges of the modern-day job search-- received a donut from the Academy this year. While I would agree "No Other Choice" is not on the level of some of Wook's previous work, or of other Korean hits that broke through to an American audience like surprise Best Picture winner "Parasite," it is still very good, bordering on excellent, and is worthy of praise and acclaim.

"Choice" centers on a factory foreman who is dropped by his long-time employer suddenly after multiple decades of service and is forced to confront a brutal job market with limited prospects. Automation and offshoring are eating away at potential jobs for manufacturing-focused workers from two sides. Sound familiar?... What happens next is a dramatized, at times hilarious, at times tragic, extrapolation of what a man in this position might do to overcome desperate odds and continue to live a materially comfortable life.

Lee-Byung Hun as our protagonist (sort of), Man-Su is excellent. He pulls the whole film together in a role where he has to teeter the line between a regular guy trying to make the best of a bad situation and an evil mastermind. Something that could have easily come across as inauthentic, his performance works.

If I were to find flaws here, it all boils down to the overall events being a bit predictable and some of the character motivations being clear, but the way they overcome their moral dilemmas in certain instances being rushed through or poorly explained. I suppose those are some fairly large things to call out in one sentence, but it's difficult to talk about either of those critiques without spoiling parts of the film. Suffice it to say, some of the sequences work very well, and some important moments feel glossed over. This is likely part of why we're seeing "Choice" left out in the cold this awards season.

I'm keen to see some of the other international film nominees, including "Sirat" and, of course, "Sentimental Value." We have 3 foreign films in the Best Picture hunt this year, a record. And "Choice" is entirely snubbed from all categories, including long shots for Best Director, Picture, and Actor.

Perhaps voters are giving love to other countries following a heck of a run of Oscar acclaim for South Korean fare over the past couple of decades? I hope to see "Choice" live a long life as it likely becomes increasingly relevant in the era of fast-evolving automation and artificial intelligence.

This is not a perfect film, but it is a very good one that captures our current moment. - 7.5/10