“No Other Choice” (2025), Park Chan-wook’s newest feature film, is about the struggles of the job market and some … interesting ways to overcome them.
The film follows family man Man-su on his path after being fired from his job and a subsequent descent into insanity. This film answers the question, how far are you willing to go to maintain your pride without losing your dignity, or your mind?
I enjoyed this film not only because of its twisted plot, but also because of its aesthetics. The set design is absolutely stunning, and the transitions are uniquely strange and refreshing. These technical components blended with Chan-wook’s insane character design and extended metaphors to create a campy and unnerving story with family values at the center.
I didn’t look into “No Other Choice” until the 2026 award season, and not because of the typical award season hype train, as the film received a whopping zero Oscar nominations. Fans of the movie were outraged, some saying it was the biggest snub of this awards season. I pretty much agree. This film was both visually and narratively well done, resulting in the end product feeling entirely individual. I do, however, think that some of the creative choices in transitions, structure and even sound were perhaps too weird for some of the Academy’s top nominations or standards.
The film definitely deserved a spot in the international feature film category, and I would have been delighted to see it in other categories like production design or cinematography. Looking at the films that did get nominated for best picture, they all have tight narrative structures, with little room for confusion. The narrative of “No Other Choice” is more fluid than strict or structured. While concise narratives make movies easier to watch, they also can result in little room for creativity and risks, two things that make “No Other Choice” the film it is.
Others have similar observations, such as Moon Ki-hoon in The Korea Herald about the legacy of the Korean film smash hit and award-grabber “Parasite” (2019).
“If anyone was to follow in Bong Joon-ho’s footsteps, most assumed it would be Park, the world-renowned auteur whose work helped put Korean cinema on the global map,” Ki-hoon writes. He goes on to discuss how inclusive this year’s Oscar nominations were, and how, for the first time, there was at least one international nominee in every category.
These factors and others gave fans hope that the highly talented director would finally get the praise he deserves at the Oscars in March. Regardless of what the Academy does, or in this case doesn’t, say about the film, “No Other Choice” is a wild ride. I give this film four out of five stars, and recommend it to anyone who enjoys dentistry, bonsai trees or obsessing over LinkedIn.
Charlie • Feb 6, 2026 at 3:05 pm
Common thought is this omission from nominations is a result of the accusation against Park from the WGA during the writers strike. It’s unfortunate that he is being punished in this way.