Lee Byung-hun, who gained international fame for his role in “Squid Game,” portrays Man-su, a loyal employee suddenly facing unemployment. His quest to re-enter the workforce takes an unexpected and intriguing turn.

In his latest film, “With No Other Choice,” set to premiere in Australian theaters on January 15, Park shifts focus to a more introspective horror: the unsettling reality of losing one’s job and the identity that comes with it.

The narrative, though harsh, is undeniably compelling. Park has spent years dissecting the moments when individuals crumble under the weight of societal and situational pressures.

“Paper is something that most people look down on. They very easily crumple it up and throw it away, but then there are special kinds of paper that people do value, like bills or passports.”

Park Chan-wook is a giant of world cinema. His latest film, No Other Choice, explores the horrors of work. Source: Supplied / Mubi

He explains that for some people, film and TV are viewed similarly, as “a meaningless source of entertainment” or “a way to kill time”.

“I think that’s why I was able to very easily empathise with the characters and the story, because it’s a story about someone who has devoted their life to something that other people don’t consider very important.”

A distinctly Korean pressure

“They spend most of their time at their jobs and they find the achievements from their job as their life’s achievements as well.”

Director Park says the film was inspired by the real-life devastation of job loss in modern South Korean society. Source: Supplied / Mubi

Park notes that South Korea’s social welfare system was introduced relatively late — and in stages over the 40 years leading up to the early noughties — intensifying the consequences of domestic job losses.

“Reading The Ax, I was remembering those incidents and I think I was influenced by the societal circumstance around me as well.”

Pressure to perform

“And unlike other artists like painters or poets, filmmaking requires you to care about what others might consider worldly desires — such as box office scores or awards or good reviews.”

While he’s one of South Korea’s most acclaimed filmmakers, Park Chan-wook still says he needs “worldly success” to be able to continue his career. Source: Getty / John Phillips

Despite his influence on global cinema, Park has never been nominated for an Academy Award.

“I make films that require a certain level of capital to be invested. I also want creative freedom when I’m making my films as well,” he says.

In No Other Choice, the paper company operates as an invisible authority, quietly determining Man-su’s value. For filmmakers, Park suggests, the industry can function in much the same way.

A ‘bitter taste’ in a world without film

For Park, it’s in part an opportunity to reflect on his sense of self and who he is outside of filmmaking.