Park Chan-wook adapts novel into dark comedy

“Just because a film addresses unemployment or layoffs does not mean it must be bleak or somber. Even the saddest human stories, when examined closely, reveal moments of humor.”

Director Park Chan-wook, 62, introduced his upcoming film 'Inevitable' at a production briefing on Aug. 19 at CGV Yongsan I'Park Mall in Seoul. Actors Lee Byung-hun, Son Ye-jin, Park Hee-soon, Lee Sung-min, Yum Hye-ran, and Cha Seung-won also attended, saying they accepted their roles without hesitation because it was Park’s work.

The film 'Inevitable' tells the story of Man-soo, played by Lee Byung-hun, a laid-off office worker preparing to reenter the job market while fighting his own battle to protect his family. The film has been selected for the competition section of the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, which opens on Aug. 27.

This is the first time in 13 years that a Korean film has competed in the festival’s main section, following the late Kim Ki-duk’s Pieta in 2012. For Park, it is his second competition entry after Sympathy for Lady Vengeance in 2005. “It feels meaningful that a Korean film is returning to Venice after so many years,” he said.

Park said this was the film he most wanted to make. It is based on The Ax by American author Donald Westlake. “It has been nearly 20 years since I first considered adapting it,” he said. “At last, the day has come.”

“Most mysteries lose their appeal once the culprit is revealed, making them difficult to revisit. But this story follows the perspective of someone preparing a crime. It depicts how an ordinary person is driven into a corner by social systems, and even after several readings it stayed engaging and worth reflecting on,” Park said.

For Park, the most important element in the adaptation was humor. “When I read the novel, I saw the chance to weave a new kind of humor into its bitter tragedy,” he said. “I thought that if I made it into a film, the humor could become both sadder and funnier.”

Actor Lee Byung-hun said his first reaction after reading the script was, “Is it all right to make people laugh?” He added, “When I read it, I questioned whether this was truly a Park Chan-wook film because there were so many comic moments. Viewers will feel both sadness and laughter, experiencing many emotions at once.”

The title also has a backstory. The original novel was called The Ax, taken from the English phrase “getting the ax” when dismissed from a job. Park once wrote in a book recommendation that if he adapted it into a film, he might call the Korean release Mogaji, a colloquial expression meaning “to lose one’s head.” The final title was changed, but the phrase appears in Man-soo’s dialogue.

Speaking about the title, Park said, “Seen negatively, it may suggest a sense of cowardice. But if you sympathize with the character, you might also think, ‘Yes, you really had no choice,’ and feel compassion.”


김태언기자 beborn@donga.com