'No Way to Stop It' shines at Venice Festival

“While it may not be director Park Chan-wook’s greatest masterpiece, it is certainly the best of his films presented in the Venice International Film Festival competition so far,” wrote The Guardian.

Park Chan-wook’s film "No Way to Stop It," competing in the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, premiered locally on Aug. 29. After the screening, the audience gave a nine-minute standing ovation, and international media outlets have praised the film.

The premiere took place at the Sala Grande theater on Lido Island in Venice, Italy, where the Venice Film Festival is held. A premiere screening is the official event where a film is shown to the public for the first time.

The film is based on the novel The Ax by American author Donald Westlake and tells the story of Mansoo (played by Lee Byung-hun), an unemployed family man seeking reemployment. It marks the first time in 13 years that a Korean film has been invited to the competition section of the Venice Film Festival, since Pieta won the Golden Lion in 2012.

According to CNN and other outlets, the audience gave a standing ovation at the end of the screening. U.S. entertainment outlet Deadline described the film as a work showcasing Lee Byung-hun’s remarkable performance and a dark black comedy that feels like director Park’s response to Bong Joon-ho’s "Parasite.” The Guardian called it “a shocking yet timelessly satirical piece presented by director Park.”

After the screening, Park told local media, “Seeing it come to fruition like this is truly overwhelming, to the point of tears.” The adaptation faced significant challenges. The novel "The Ax" had already been made into the 2005 film "The Ax: A Guide to Employment," with film rights held by director Costa-Gavras. It is reported that Park met Costa-Gavras at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival, where he attended with his film Thirst, and obtained permission to remake the story.

“International film professionals complimented the director, saying they enjoyed the film,” said Lee Byung-hun, appearing in a Park Chan-wook film for the first time in 21 years since "Three… Extremes" (2004). “I felt on site that overseas filmmakers regarded No Way to Stop It very highly.”

The film is competing against 21 other works for the Venice Film Festival’s top prize, the Golden Lion. The award will be announced at the festival’s closing ceremony on Sept. 6.


김태언기자 beborn@donga.com