Director Park Chan-wook's new ”lifelong project” 'No Other Choice' - why did he change the title from 'Axe' and 'Neck'?
The story behind the title of the film 'No Other Choice' has been revealed.
'No Other Choice' tells the story of Man-soo (Lee Byung-hun), an office worker who was so satisfied with his life that he felt he had "accomplished everything," who is suddenly fired from his job. However, in order to protect his wife and two children and the home he had worked so hard to build, he prepares and wages his own battle to find new employment. It is director Park Chan-wook's new film.
Based on Donald E. Westlake's novel "The Ax," director Park Chan-wook has realized a long-held dream. In 2017, he attempted to adapt this work into a Hollywood film, but production was scrapped.
'No Other Choice' is a work that director Park Chan-wook is so attached to that he himself referred to it as his "lifelong project."
In relation to this, director Park Chan-wook said, "It's been almost 20 years since I first read the original novel and wanted to turn it into a film." "Of course, I haven't been so fixated on this until now, but I've been working hard and finally the time has come. I just want to show it to you as soon as possible."
He continued, "In the mystery genre of novels, there are many types of questions about who the culprit is, but once the mystery is solved, everything is resolved, and it's not interesting to have to re-examine it after reading it once." He added, "This work begins with a story about people who are trying to commit a crime, and you follow along. There is no mystery. It depicts the process of an ordinary person being ousted from the social system, so it was interesting even after thinking about it over and over again. It was worth examining."
He added, "It is a very bitter tragedy, but I saw the possibility of incorporating a new kind of absurd humor." "The novel has that aspect, but I thought that if I made it, there was the possibility of reviving a lot of even more sad and funny humor." Director Park Chan-wook also revealed the reason for the title change, saying, "I originally wanted to change the title to 'Neck.' I was forced to change both 'Axe' and 'Neck.' I changed the title because it evokes the idea of brutal violence and physical mutilation, rather than the idea of a violent dismissal." He joked, "I was concerned about this because of preconceived notions about Lee Byung-hun, who starred in 'I Saw the Devil.'"
He added, "The new title incorporates a cowardly sentiment. It conveys the desire to rationalize bad deeds while doing them, and while it may seem cowardly from a negative perspective, I thought that if you look at this character and feel pity for him, you could convey a sadness that suggests it was inevitable." He added, "In today's capitalist society, layoffs and restructuring are sad for those on the receiving end, but the people who carry them out also often say 'no other choice.' Everyone has their own reasons for doing things. I wanted to show the tragedy that results when these conflicts collide." Lee Byung-hun hinted that the film would provide a strange experience of feeling a variety of emotions all at once, and Park Hee-soon suggested that, leaving director Park Chan-wook aside, the goal was to make a "million-dollar film" that doesn't go to Cannes, so attention is focused on whether Park Chan-wook's "lifetime project," 'No Other Choice', will be able to evoke a range of emotions in audiences and achieve commercial success.
'No Other Choice', is a Korean film that was invited to the competition section of the Venice International Film Festival for the first time in 13 years, will be released in Korea on September 24th.
