Acclaimed South Korean director Park Chan-wook made a triumphant return after 20 years to the Venice Movie Competition, the place he was greeted with a six-minute standing ovation for the twisted black comedy “No Different Selection.”
Audiences had been clearly thrilled to see Park and his main man, “Squid Sport” star Lee Byung-hun, who had been welcomed into the Sala Grande Theater with an enthusiastic spherical of applause earlier than the movie even started. Though the Friday evening premiere began half-hour delayed — Luca Guadagnino’s #MeToo drama “After the Hunt” debuted earlier within the night in the identical venue and ran late — the gang at “No Different Selection” remained full of life all through the 2-hour and 19-minute runtime.
Tailored from Donald E. Westlake’s thriller novel “The Ax,” the story follows a middle-aged man named Man-soo (Lee) who goes to determined lengths to realize employment after being unexpectedly fired from the paper firm he labored at for 25 years. Man-soo’s more and more certifiable makes an attempt result in some wild on-screen moments, inflicting the viewers to erupt in laughter… and gasp in horror at a few of the crazier sequences. No spoilers, however these audible responses had been prompted by copious quantities of blood and dust and a stomach-squelching scene involving pliers.
Because the credit stopped rolling round 12:30 a.m., Park soaked within the prolonged standing ovation and stored the cheers going as he waved to the room and hugged every actor within the movie. The ensemble forged, most of whom had been on the premiere, consists of Son Ye-jin, Park Hee-soon and Lee Sung-min. After six minutes of clapping and hollering, the gang quieted down and began to trickle out of the venue till somebody shouted “Bravo!” and sparked one other, briefer spherical of applause.
Park, a luminary of Korean cinema, is legendary for writing and directing “Oldboy,” “Thirst” and “The Handmaiden,” in addition to producing “Snowpiercer.” He final appeared in competitors at Venice with 2005’s “Sympathy for Woman Vengeance.” Earlier on Friday on the movie’s official press convention, Park defined the explanation it took 20 years for him to return to the Lido.
“There’s a really quick reply, one phrase actually,” Park quipped. “That’s ‘cash.’”
Though he labored for 20 years to get the right funds to make “No Different Selection,” Park stated he knew the movie’s themes would stay related.
“All of us harbor that deep concern of employment and safety,” Park stated by an interpreter. “I used to be in a position to work on this movie for 20 years as a result of regardless of who I informed over the 20 years, they’d all the time relate and say, ‘It’s such a well timed story.’ That gave me the boldness to understand it’s a movie that may finally get made.”
