Lee Byunghun: "Mansu's Family Cannot Last to the End"
Park Chanwook: "'Superficial Harmony, True Intent is Ruin'"
※ This article contains many spoilers for the film.
Director Park Chanwook’s new film "No Other Choice" appears, at first glance, to have a happy ending. Mansu (Lee Byung-hun), who had lost his job, finds new employment and vows to make a fresh start with his family. However, during the process of re-employment, he becomes a serial killer, and both his wife and son become aware of this fact.
Lee Byunghun stated, "This film is a tragedy. On the surface, it may seem as if everything has been patched up, but that is not the reality." He explained, "Mansu’s act of killing people who are in the same situation as himself is ultimately an act of self-destruction. Even in the final scene, where the family gathers for a barbecue party, things may look harmonious on the outside, but their souls are already dead. Everything has collapsed and turned pitch black." He added, "Can such a family truly last? I don’t think so."
Director Park Chanwook left the ending open. He said, "In 'Oldboy,' it’s unclear whether Oh Dae-su (Choi Min-sik) succeeds in erasing his memory. Depending on how you interpret it, the ending fundamentally changes, and it’s the same with this film," adding, "Mansu must endure at his new job and be accepted by his wife and son to regain his life’s purpose, but both of these are left in a precarious state at the end."
He continued, "On the surface, the wife celebrates by saying she won’t sell the house, and the son believes it was a pig (not a person) buried in the front yard, but that’s just a superficial impression."
Lee Byunghun also hinted at an alternate version that was edited out of the film. "Originally, there was a clear scene of Mansu leaving the house," he said. "There was a shot where, as his daughter finally played a complete piece of music after only playing a few notes, he left alone."
He recalled, "There was even a full shot of him dancing alone. He had gone through so much and endured terrible things to get to where he wanted, and I acted with an expression that seemed to say, ‘I have finally made it here.’" At that time, the choreography was filled with emptiness. Lee Byunghun explained, "Even as he shouts ‘fighting,’ there is a deep sadness on his face. It was a sense of emptiness that lingered despite his achievement."
He felt that even without these scenes, the tragic elements were sufficient. As a representative example, he pointed to the artificial intelligence (AI) light-off system scene. Lee Byunghun said, "Everywhere Mansu passes, the lights turn off, and at some point, it feels as if the darkness will swallow him whole. He barely makes it into the AI system, but it shows he is still in a precarious state and could fall again at any moment."
Director Park Chanwook revealed that he intentionally created this ominous atmosphere. He said, "The AI light-off system scene is one example, but above all, the wounds in the hearts of the wife and son will never heal easily. How could anyone live with a serial killer who has murdered three people? How could he be accepted as the father of his son and daughter? It is absolutely impossible."
As for why he chose to depict an open ending despite this, he answered, "I believe the audience should make a comprehensive choice based on their own life views-what state their own family is in, what their parents’ relationship was like, and so on." The implication was that viewers should not settle for the seemingly happy ending, but instead discover for themselves the tragic truth lurking beneath the surface.
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