#FIRSTLOOK: “NO OTHER CHOICE” SCREENING IN IMAX ONE NIGHT ONLY

Elevation Pictures is excited to announce that we will be screening NO OTHER CHOICE in IMAX for one night only ahead of the official release date. Please see below for specific details.

NO OTHER CHOICE
•Screening in IMAX on December 8 for one night only in the following theatres across Canada

•Cineplex Yonge-Dundas & VIP – Toronto, ON
•Cineplex Empress Walk – Toronto, ON
•Cineplex Coquitlam & VIP – Vancouver, BC

Directed by: Park Chan-wook
Starring: Ho-jung Kim, Won-Jae Lee, Jonathan Kim, Susan Hanson, Samantha Kendrick, Amara Pedroso Saquel, Leere Park

Directed by: Park Chan-wook

Starring: Lee Byung-hun, Son Ye-jin, Park Hee-soon, Lee Sung-min, Yeom Hye-ran, Cha Seung-won

From director Park Chan-wook and based on Donald E. Westlake’s novel THE AX, the story follows Man-su on his desperate hunt for a new job after his abrupt layoff from the paper company he served for 25 years.

NO OTHER CHOICE is in theatres Christmas Day.

#TIFF25: “NO OTHER CHOICE” REVIEW

By Nicholas Porteous

Park Chan-wook returns to TIFF (after his singularly dazzling Decision to Leave) with No Other Choice. It’s a very different kind of war movie about a factory worker (Lee Byung-hun) and the battle to feed his family when he’s unceremoniously let go. How far will he go to recapture the old life that seems to be slipping through his fingers? Take your wildest guess–then go another few steps further.

No Other Choice is a classic Chan-wook vibe, full of unexpectedly hilarious moments that serve to counteract the unrelenting bleakness of the bigger picture. Chan-wook is a daring tightrope walker of tone, and his vision is so precise it’s hard to imagine any other filmmaker who could pull off this hyper-specific potpourri of comedy and tragedy. This is by no means a feel-good story, but the jokes are undeniable.

Chan-wook also continues to move his camera with nearly unmatched gusto. Tablet screens and video calls have never been more cinematic. Out of context, his frames might seem gimmicky, but his focus is always bringing you closer to these characters and their little worlds. Despite our lead’s indefensible actions, I never lost sight of his humanity, or the real villain: a world without mercy that pits us against each other, and rewards the vicious with jobs that may as well be performed by robots.

No Other Choice is labyrinthine, and certainly feels its length–a hefty 139 minutes. It’s easy to get a bit lost in all the details, and every little thing is there for a reason. By the same token, it’s a rewarding watch, even though the whole package may leave you queasy. Its conclusion feels abrupt, and necessarily harsh. Particularly if you’ve enjoyed Chan-wook’s other, oftentimes brutal works, this will not disappoint.

No Other Choice screens at TIFF ’25:

Mon. Sept 8 at 9:30 PM at Roy Thompson Hall

Tues. Sept 9 at 8:45 PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

Thurs. Sept 11 at 11:30 AM at TIFF Bell Lightbox