Neon debuted the official trailer for No Other Choice, the South Korean dark, satirical thriller film starring Lee Byung-hun as Man-su, a middle-aged factory worker whose life is upended after being laid off.
Son Ye-jin stars as his wife Miri and mother of their two sons, as the couple spirals into despair, resentment, and increasingly desperate acts. Also starring in the movie are Park Hee-soon, Lee Sung-min, Yeom Hye-ran, Cha Seung-won, and Yoo Yeon-seok.
The trailer paints a stark world of suburban instability, mounting pressure, and the lengths to which someone will go when they believe they have “no other choice.”
Directed by Park Chan-wook, No Other Choice made its world premiere in competition at the 2025 Venice International Film Festival, followed by its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, where it won the inaugural International People’s Choice Award. It is expected to open in select theaters on Christmas, and everywhere January 2026.
Here is the synopsis:
Man – su (Lee Byung Hun), a specialist in paper manufacturing with 25 years of experience, is so satisfied with life that he can truthfully tell himself, “I’ve got it all.” While happily passing his days with his wife Miri (Son Yejin), their two children and two dogs, Man – su is suddenly informed by his company that he has been fired.
“We’re sorry. We have no other choice.”
Feeling shocked as if his head had been cut off by an ax, Man – su vows to find himself a new job within the next three months for the sake of his family. Despite his firm resolve to turn his life around, Man – su spends over a year drifting from one job inter view after another, and working at a retail store. He eventually finds himself in danger of losing the very house that he struggled so hard to buy.
Desperate, he visits Moon Paper out of the blue and tries to hand over his CV, but he just ends up getting humiliated by line manager Sun – chul (Park Hee Soon). Man – su knows he is better qualified than anyone to work at Moon Paper, so he comes to a certain decision.
Next Best Picture review hails the film, but acknowledges the slow story build-up, writing, “No Other Choice is one of those films that, blessedly, gets better as it goes along. This isn’t to say the film starts off on the wrong foot, but it does take nearly an hour for it to hit its stride with complete confidence.”
Watch the official trailer for No Other Choice above.
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