No Other Choice
2025 film by Park Chan-wook
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
No Other Choice (Korean: 어쩔수가없다) is a 2025 South Korean black comedy thriller film co-written, produced, and directed by Park Chan-wook. Based on The Ax by Donald Westlake, the film stars Lee Byung-hun, Son Ye-jin, Park Hee-soon, Lee Sung-min, Yeom Hye-ran, and Cha Seung-won. It is the second film adaptation of the novel, after the 2005 French-language feature The Axe directed by Costa-Gavras, to whom No Other Choice is dedicated in the closing credits.[5][6][7] The film follows a desperate paper industry expert who decides to kill off his competition to be assured of the job he seeks to maintain his way of life.
| No Other Choice | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
| Hangul | 어쩔수가없다 |
| Lit. | It Cannot Be Helped |
| RR | Eojjeol suga eopda |
| MR | Ŏtchŏl suga ŏpta |
| Directed by | Park Chan-wook |
| Screenplay by |
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| Based on | |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Kim Woo-hyung |
| Edited by |
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| Music by | Jo Yeong-wook |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | CJ Entertainment |
Release dates |
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Running time | 139 minutes[1] |
| Country | South Korea |
| Language |
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| Budget | ₩17 billion (~$12.2 million)[2] |
| Box office | $40.2 million[3][4] |
The film had its world premiere in the main competition of the 82nd Venice International Film Festival on August 29, 2025, where it garnered critical acclaim. At the 83rd Golden Globe Awards, it was nominated for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, Best Foreign Language Film and Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy (Lee Byung-hun). It was also selected as the South Korean entry for the Best International Feature Film category for the 98th Academy Awards, making the December shortlist,[8] but was not nominated.[9]
No Other Choice had its domestic premiere as the opening film of the 30th Busan International Film Festival on September 17, followed by its theatrical release in South Korea on September 24 by CJ Entertainment. It grossed a total of $19,881,918 in South Korea becoming the third highest-grossing film in the country in 2025.[10]
Plot
Man-su, an award-winning veteran employee at a papermaking company, lives happily in his beloved childhood home with his wife Mi-ri and their children: Si-one, Mi-ri's teenage son from a previous marriage, and Ri-one, an autistic cello prodigy. The company is bought out and a devastated Man-su is laid off after defending his fellow workers, but assures his family he will resume papermaking within three months.
Thirteen months later, Man-su has been unable to find another job in the papermaking industry. His family is forced to minimize their spending, including rehoming their two dogs with Mi-ri's parents, upsetting Ri-one, whose cello teacher recommends her for expensive advanced classes. The family considers selling their home to the parents of Si-one's friend Dong-ho, and Mi-ri takes a part-time job as a dental assistant to suave dentist Jin-ho, while Man-su endures a toothache he cannot afford to treat.
Man-su attempts to join the successful Moon Paper company, but is humiliated by manager Seon-chul. Wanting his job, Man-su nearly kills Seon-chul with a potted plant, but realises this will not matter unless he is the best candidate to replace him. Instead, Man-su uses a fake job advertisement to identify his chief competitors: Beom-mo and Si-jo. Retrieving his father's Vietnam War gun, he prepares to kill Seon-chul, Beom-mo, and Si-jo to eliminate his competition.
Spying on Beom-mo, an unemployed drunkard, Man-su is bitten by a snake and treated by Beom-mo's dissatisfied wife, A-ra, and is later unable to stop Beom-mo from discovering A-ra's infidelity. A-ra finds Man-su confronting Beom-mo at gunpoint, leading to a struggle for the gun, but A-ra shoots Beom-mo dead and Man-su escapes. He arrives late to a costumed party, where Mi-ri dances with Jin-ho instead. A-ra and her lover bury Beom-mo, but Man-su recovers the gun.
Man-su and Mi-ri accuse each other of infidelity, and she reminds him that he was a violent drunk when Si-one was very young, but they reconcile. At the shoe store where Si-jo works, Man-su recognises him as a kindred devoted father, but tricks him into staying late and feigns car trouble; when Si-jo stops to help, Man-su reluctantly shoots him and drives away with his corpse.
Si-one and Dong-ho are arrested for stealing iPhones from Dong-ho's father's store, but Man-su and Mi-ri blackmail Dong-ho's father, who used the store for his own infidelity, into having Dong-ho take the blame. Detectives question Man-su about Beom-mo and Si-jo's disappearances, having linked them as unemployed paper men. Smoking on the roof, Si-one witnesses Man-su in his greenhouse trying to dismember Si-jo's corpse with a chainsaw. Unable to do so, Man-su buries the body in his garden, alongside Si-one's stolen iPhones, and plants an apple tree.
Plying Seon-chul with alcohol at his remote cabin, Man-su breaks his sobriety and drunkenly extracts his own tooth. Haunted by nightmares about his father and the chainsaw, Si-one informs his mother, who digs up the tree and calls Man-su. Determined to protect his family, Man-su suffocates Seon-chul with meat and stages his death to appear as if he choked on his own vomit. Mi-ri tells Si-one that Man-su dismembered and buried a pig to nourish the apple tree, and she and Man-su come to a tense understanding.
Moon Paper hires Man-su to replace Seon-chul, allowing the family to keep their home and reunite with their dogs. Ri-one's antisocial behavior improves, and Mi-ri realises her unusual drawings are actually musical compositions. The detectives reveal that A-ra has implicated Beom-mo as a gun-owner, and conclude that he murdered Si-jo and went on the run, lifting suspicion off Man-su. At his new job, Man-su celebrates alone in a modern paper mill run by machines instead of workers.
Cast
- Lee Byung-hun as Yoo Man-su, Mi-ri's husband and Si-one and Ri-one's father, who is a paper industry expert who is struggling to find employment[11]
- Son Ye-jin as Lee Mi-ri, Man-su's wife and Si-one and Ri-one's mother, who works as a dental assistant
- Park Hee-soon as Choi Seon-chul, Man-su's third target and the divorced line manager of Papyrus Paper who also is an influencer on social media
- Lee Sung-min as Goo Beom-mo, Man-su's first target and another paper expert who is also struggling to find a job
- Yeom Hye-ran as Lee A-ra, Beom-mo's frustrated and unfaithful wife and a struggling veteran actress
- Cha Seung-won as Ko Si-jo, Man-su's second target who works at a shoe store to provide for his family
- Yoo Yeon-seok as Oh Jin-ho, a dentist and employer of Mi-ri
- Kim Woo-seung as Si-one, Man-su and Mi-ri's teenage son
- Choi So-yul as Ri-one, Man-su and Mi-ri's prodigious young daughter
- Oh Dal-su as Detective #1
- Lee Suk-hyeong as Detective #2
- Im Tae-poong as Dong-ho, Si-one's friend
- Kim Hyung-mook as Dong-ho's father
- Woo Jeong-won as Dong-ho's mother
- Kim Hae-sook as Ok Sang-yep
Production
Development
During the 14th Busan International Film Festival in 2009, it was announced that Park would remake Costa-Gavras's 2005 film The Axe.[12] Park would later clarify that he had read Donald Westlake's 1997 novel The Ax upon which the film was based and decided to adapt it prior to knowing about Costa-Gavras's film.[13] However, the project was delayed when Park received the screenplay for his 2012 film Stoker.[14] In 2012, Park said he planned to make the film his next project but it still needed "more work on the casting and attracting investors".[14][15]
During a live discussion with Costa-Gavras at the 24th Busan International Film Festival in 2019, Park told audiences that he was still working on his adaptation of Westlake's novel.[13] The film was described by Park as a "lifetime project" and that while he hadn't begun filming it yet, he wished "to make this film as my masterpiece".[16] Gavras, who still held the rights to the book, had helped Park to develop the project. The film was set to be an English-language picture, with Don McKellar co-writing the script alongside Park.[13]
Park's team told The Hollywood Reporter that he was approaching the project with the intent to "strengthen the moral dilemma in this story as much as possible, and he will increase the role of protagonist's wife".[13]
At the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, Park stated that the project was still in development and followed "a heartbreaking story about a middle-aged man who lost a job, and now he needs to bring the bread to the table to feed his family. So, he struggles in the process of looking for a job in a specialized field, and he becomes a serial killer."[17]
In March 2024, Lee Byung-hun and Son Ye-jin were announced as the film's leads.[18] Park and Son previously worked together in the 2016 movie The Truth Beneath, while Park collaborated with Lee on Joint Security Area (2000). Park revealed that the film would now be set in Korea.[19]
In August 2024, Park's frequent collaborators Lee Kyoung-mi and Lee Ja-hye were also announced as writers on the project.
Filming
Principal photography began in August 2024.[20][11] Filming wrapped in January 2025, lasting a total of five months.[21]
Soundtrack
The film's soundtrack includes classical, Korean pop ballads, and American soul music.[22][23] The opening credits and the first few minutes of the opening scene feature Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 23.[24][25] "Redpepper Dragonfly" by Cho Yong-pil,[26] "Let's Walk On" by Kim Chang-wan, and "Le badinage" by Marin Marais feature in the film.[22]
Release
In June 2025, Neon acquired North American distribution rights to No Other Choice, with Mubi taking rights to the film in the U.K., Ireland, Latin America, Spain, Turkey, the SAARC, Australia, New Zealand and the Benelux, the latter in association with its subsidiary Cinéart.[27] According to CJ ENM and Moho Film, the film was pre-sold to over 200 countries around the world, including North America, the UK, France, Germany, and Japan. It surpasses the pre-sale record of 192 countries held by Park Chan-wook's 2022 film Decision to Leave.[28]
The film had its world premiere in the main competition of the 82nd Venice International Film Festival on August 29, 2025.[29][30] It had its North American premiere on September 5, 2025, at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival,[31] where Lee Byung-hun received a Special Tribute Award at the TIFF Tribute Awards event.[32] It was also screened in the Special Presentations section at the 2025 Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival, Sudbury, Ontario, on September 17, 2025.[33][34]
It opened the 30th Busan International Film Festival on September 17, 2025, where both Lee Byung-hun and Son Ye-jin were honoured with the "Actors' house", a special career retrospective.[35] Theatrical release in South Korea followed on September 24, by CJ Entertainment.[36][37] The film was screened in IMAX theaters in South Korea,[38] while in the United States, a one-night screening was held on December 8.[39]
On October 4, 2025, No Other Choice was presented in the "Galas & Special Presentations" and "Spotlight on Korea" sections at the 2025 Vancouver International Film Festival.[40] It had its US premiere at the Main Slate of 2025 New York Film Festival on October 12, 2025.[41] On October 14,[42] the film competed in the 58th Sitges Film Festival in the Oficial Fantàstic Competició section, vying for the various awards given in the section.[43][44] It was presented in the Galas section of the 2025 BFI London Film Festival on October 15, 2025,[45][46] and would also be screened as a late addition to the Adelaide Film Festival on October 24,[47] and in the Special Presentations of the 61st Chicago International Film Festival on October 25, 2025.[48]
It was screened in the Masters section of the 2025 Stockholm International Film Festival on November 12, 2025,[49] and in the "From the Festivals – 2025" section of the 56th International Film Festival of India in November 2025.[50]
Reception
Box office
No Other Choice recouped its 17 billion won production budget before its release through overseas presales, making its financial success unaffected by its domestic performance.[2][51]
The film was released on September 24, 2025, on 2,114 screens.[52] It opened at the top recording 331,518 viewers on its opening day at the Korean box office. The film achieved the highest opening of all time for a film directed by Park, surpassing Decision to Leave and his highest-grossing film The Handmaiden.[53] On September 28, it surpassed 1 million cumulative viewers in five days of its release by registering 1,042,800 cumulative audience.[54]
As of 26 February 2026[update], the film has grossed $39 million worldwide,[4] including US$19.7 million from 2,938,283 domestic admissions only in South Korea.[52][55]
Critical response
After earning a nine-minute standing ovation and applause at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival,[56][57] The Dong-A Ilbo stated that the film left a significant mark on the Korean film industry, receiving rave reviews from international critics and media and helping to revitalize Korean cinema.[58]
The film continued to attract critical acclaim;[a] Variety reported that critics "have hailed No Other Choice as one of Park's most humane and mordantly funny works to date."[63] On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 97% of 234 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.3/10. The website's consensus reads: "Directed with pristine precision by Park Chan-wook, No Other Choice is a wickedly clever takedown of the corporate rat race that finds a perfect avatar in Lee Byung-Hun's skillfully hapless performance."[64] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 86 out of 100, based on 46 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[65] This movie scored 7.17 out of 10 on Cine21.[66]
Time Out rated the film 5 out of 5 stars, describing it as "a masterful work of cinema which might well be Chan-wook's masterpiece. And given this is the man who directed The Handmaiden that's saying a lot."[67] According to Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian, who rated the film 4 stars out of 5, "it may not be Park's masterpiece but it is the best film in the Venice competition so far".[68] Reviewing it for the Financial Times, Danny Leigh sees it as a critique of capitalism, concluding "Capitalism may offer much less choice than advertised, he tells us. The future may take even that away."[69] Eileen Jones of Jacobin praised the film's themes, writing: "atomization, the process by which we are all forced apart into terrifying isolation, so that we each wind up playing a lone hand against the impossible forces of our own creation, has rarely been illustrated with such powerful imagery and narrative clarity."[70]
Accolades
No Other Choice was selected as the South Korean entry for the Best International Feature Film category for the 98th Academy Awards.[71]
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Venice International Film Festival | September 6, 2025 | Golden Lion | Park Chan-wook | Nominated | [72] [73] |
| TIFF Tribute Awards | September 7, 2025 | Special Tribute Award | Lee Byung-hun | Honored | [74] |
| Toronto International Film Festival | September 14, 2025 | International People's Choice Award | No Other Choice | Won | [75] |
| Sitges Film Festival | October 18, 2025 | Best Feature Film | Nominated | [76] | |
| Best Director | Park Chan-wook | Won | |||
| Newport Beach Film Festival | October 22, 2025 | Global Impact Award | Honored | [77] | |
| Artist of Distinction Award | Lee Byung-hun | Honored | |||
| Outstanding International Feature | No Other Choice | Won | [78] | ||
| Outstanding Editing Feature | Won | ||||
| Savannah Film Festival | October 25, 2025 | International Auteur Award | Park Chan-wook | Honored | [79] |
| International Audience Award | No Other Choice | Won | [80] | ||
| Adelaide Film Festival | October 26, 2025 | Audience Award for Feature Fiction | Won | [81] | |
| Miami Film Festival | October 31, 2025 | Master of the Precious Gem Award | Park Chan-wook | Honored | [82] |
| Korean Association of Film Critics Awards | November 6, 2025 | Best Supporting Actor | Park Hee-soon | Won | [83] |
| FIPRESCI Award (Domestic) | No Other Choice | Won | |||
| Stockholm International Film Festival | November 14, 2025 | FIPRESCI Award | Won | [84] | |
| Blue Dragon Film Awards | November 19, 2025 | Best Film | Won | [85] | |
| Best Director | Park Chan-wook | Won | |||
| Best Actor | Lee Byung-hun | Nominated | |||
| Best Actress | Son Ye-jin | Won | |||
| Best Supporting Actor | Lee Sung-min | Won | |||
| Best Supporting Actress | Yeom Hye-ran | Nominated | |||
| Best Screenplay | Park Chan-wook, Don McKellar, Lee Kyoung-mi, Lee Ja-hye | Nominated | |||
| Best Editing | Kim Sang-bum, Kim Ho-bin | Nominated | |||
| Best Cinematography and Lighting | Kim Woo-hyung, Kim Min-jae | Nominated | |||
| Best Art Direction | Ryu Seong-hie | Nominated | |||
| Best Music | Jo Yeong-wook | Won | |||
| Technical Award | Jo Sang-gyeong (Costume) | Won | |||
| Gotham Independent Film Awards | December 1, 2025 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Park Chan-wook, Lee Kyoung-mi, Jahye Lee and Don McKellar | Nominated | [86] |
| Best International Feature | Park Chan-wook, Alexandre Gavras, Michèle Ray-Gavras, and Back Jisun | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Lead Performance | Lee Byung-hun | Nominated | |||
| Atlanta Film Critics Circle | December 3, 2025 | Top 10 Films | No Other Choice | 7th Place | [87] |
| Best International Feature | Runner-up | ||||
| Toronto Film Critics Association | December 7, 2025 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Park Chan-wook, Lee Kyoung-mi, Jahye Lee and Don McKellar | Runner-up | [88] |
| Washington DC Area Film Critics Association | December 7, 2025 | Foreign Language Film | No Other Choice | Nominated | [89] |
| The New York Times Magazine | December 9, 2025 | 10 Best Performers of 2025 | Lee Byung-hun | Won | [90] |
| Astra Creative Arts Awards | December 11, 2025 | Best Film Editing | Kim Sang-bum and Kim Ho-Bin | Nominated | [91] |
| Chicago Film Critics Association Awards | December 11, 2025 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Park Chan-wook, Lee Kyoung-mi, Don McKellar, and Lee Ja-hye | Nominated | [92] |
| Best Foreign Language Film | No Other Choice | Nominated | |||
| Best Editing | Kim Sang-bum and Kim Ho-bin | Nominated | |||
| Phoenix Critics Circle | December 11, 2025 | Best Foreign Language Film | No Other Choice | Nominated | [93] |
| Best Director | Park Chan-wook | Nominated | |||
| Best Cinematography | Kim Woo-hyung | Nominated | |||
| St. Louis Film Critics Association | December 14, 2025 | Best International Feature Film | No Other Choice | Nominated | [94] |
| San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle | December 14, 2025 | Best International Feature Film | Nominated | [95] | |
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Park Chan-wook, Lee Kyoung-mi, Don Mckellar, Jahye Lee | Nominated | |||
| Seattle Film Critics Society Awards | December 15, 2025 | Best International Feature | No Other Choice - Park Chan-wook | Nominated | [96] |
| New York Film Critics Online | December 15, 2025 | Best Picture | No Other Choice | Nominated | [97] |
| Best Director | Park Chan-wook | Nominated | |||
| Best Actor | Lee Byung-hun | Nominated | |||
| Best Ensemble Cast | No Other Choice | Nominated | |||
| Best Cinematography | Kim Woo-hyung | Nominated | |||
| Best International Feature | No Other Choice | Nominated | |||
| Indiana Film Journalists Association | December 15, 2025 | Best Film Finalists | Top 10 | [98] | |
| Best Foreign Language Film | Won | ||||
| Phoenix Film Critics Society | December 15, 2025 | Won | [99] | ||
| Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association | December 17, 2025 | Best Foreign Language Film | 4th Place | [100] | |
| Korean Film Producers Association Awards | December 18, 2025 | Best Actor | Lee Byung-hun | Won | [101] |
| Best Cinematography | Kim Woo-hyung | Won | |||
| Best Lighting | Kim Min-jae | Won | |||
| Sound Award | Kim Seok-won, Kim Hyeon-jun, Hong Yun-seong | Won | |||
| Austin Film Critics Association | December 18, 2025 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Park Chan-wook, Lee Kyoung-mi, Jahye Lee, Don McKellar, Donald E. Westlake | Nominated | [102] |
| Best International Film | No Other Choice | Nominated | |||
| Florida Film Critics Circle | December 19, 2025 | Best Picture | Runner-up | [103] | |
| Best Director | Park Chan-wook | Won | |||
| Best Actor | Lee Byung-hun | Nominated | |||
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Park Chan-wook, Lee Kyoung-mi, Jahye Lee, Don McKellar, Donald E. Westlake | Runner-up | |||
| Best International Film | No Other Choice | Won | |||
| Best Editing | Kim Sang-bum, Kim Ho-bin | Nominated | |||
| Best Visual Effects | No Other Choice | Nominated | |||
| Las Vegas Film Critics Society | December 19, 2025 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Park Chan-wook, Lee Kyoung-mi, Jahye Lee, Don McKellar, Donald E. Westlake | Nominated | [104] |
| Best Foreign Language Film | No Other Choice | Nominated | |||
| Online Association Of Female Film Critics | December 19, 2025 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Park Chan-wook, Lee Kyoung-mi, Jahye Lee, Don McKellar, Donald E. Westlake | Nominated | [105] |
| Best Editing | Kim Sang-bum, Kim Ho-bin | Nominated | |||
| Best International Film | No Other Choice | Nominated | |||
| Boston Online Film Critics Association | December 20, 2025 | Top Ten Films of 2025 | 4th Place | [106] | |
| Best International Film | Won | ||||
| Black Film Critics Circle | December 20, 2025 | Top Ten Films of 2025 | 5th Place | [107] | |
| Kansas City Film Critics Circle | December 21, 2025 | Best Foreign Language Film | Nominated | [108] | |
| Chunsa Film Art Awards | December 23, 2025 | Best Actor | Lee Byung-hun | Won | [109] [110] |
| Best Cinematography | Kim Woo-hyung | Won | |||
| Special Jury Prize | Lee Sung-min | Won | |||
| Georgia Film Critics Association | December 27, 2025 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Park Chan-wook, Lee Kyoung-mi, Don McKellar, and Jahye Lee | Nominated | [111] |
| Best International Film | No Other Choice | Runner-up | |||
| North Texas Film Critics Association | December 29, 2025 | Best Foreign Language Film | Nominated | [112] | |
| New Jersey Film Critics Circle | December 31, 2025 | Best Picture | Nominated | [113] | |
| Best Director | Park Chan-wook | Nominated | |||
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Park Chan-wook, Lee Kyoung-mi, Don Mckellar, Jahye Lee | Runner-up | |||
| Best Cinematography | Kim Woo-hyung, Kim Min-jae | Nominated | |||
| Best Editing | Kim Sang-bum, Kim Ho-bin | Nominated | |||
| Best International Film | No Other Choice | Won | |||
| Portland Critics Association | December 31, 2025 | Best Picture | Nominated | [114] | |
| Top 10 Films of 2025 | Placed | ||||
| Best Film Not in the English Language | Won | ||||
| Best Screenplay | Park Chan-wook, Lee Kyoung-mi, Don Mckellar, Jahye Lee | Nominated | |||
| Best Director | Park Chan-wook | Nominated | |||
| Alliance of Women Film Journalists | December 31, 2025 | Best International Film | No Other Choice | Nominated | [115] |
| Puerto Rico Critics Association | January 2, 2026 | Best Comedy/Musical | Nominated | [116] | |
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Park Chan-wook, Lee Kyoung-mi, Don Mckellar, Jahye Lee | Nominated | |||
| Best International Film | No Other Choice | Nominated | |||
| Best Editing | Kim Sang-bum, Kim Ho-bin | Runner-up | |||
| Minnesota Film Critics Association | January 2, 2026 | Best International Feature | No Other Choice | Nominated | [117] |
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Park Chan-wook, Lee Kyoung-mi, Don Mckellar, Jahye Lee | Nominated | |||
| Critics' Choice Movie Awards | January 4, 2026 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Park Chan-wook, Lee Kyoung-mi, Don Mckellar, Jahye Lee | Nominated | [118] |
| Best Foreign Language Film | No Other Choice | Nominated | |||
| Columbus Film Critics Association | January 8, 2026 | Best Film | 2nd Place | [119] | |
| Best Foreign Language Film | Runner-up | ||||
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Park Chan-Wook, Lee Kyoung-Mi, Don McKellar, and Jahye Lee | Runner-up | |||
| Astra Film Awards | January 9, 2026 | Best International Feature | No Other Choice | Nominated | [120] |
| Best Motion Picture Comedy or Musical | Nominated | ||||
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Park Chan-wook, Don McKellar, Lee Kyoung-mi, and Lee Ja-hye | Nominated | |||
| Best Actor in a Motion Picture Comedy or Musical | Lee Byung-hun | Nominated | |||
| Honorary awards - Filmmaking Achievement Award | Park Chan-wook | Honored | |||
| Critics Association Of Central Florida | January 9, 2026 | Best International Film | No Other Choice | Won | [121] |
| AARP Movies for Grownups Awards | January 10, 2026 | Best Foreign Language Film | Nominated | [122] | |
| Greater Western New York Film Critics Association | January 10, 2026 | Best Picture | Nominated | [123] | |
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Park Chan-wook, Don McKellar, Lee Kyoung-mi, and Lee Ja-hye | Nominated | |||
| Best Foreign Language Film | No Other Choice | Nominated | |||
| Golden Globe Awards | January 11, 2026 | Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy | Nominated | [124] | |
| Best Foreign Language Film | Nominated | ||||
| Best Actor – Musical or Comedy | Lee Byung-hun | Nominated | |||
| North Dakota Film Society | January 12, 2026 | Best Actor | Lee Byung-hun | Nominated | [125] |
| Best Editing | Kim Sang-beom, Kim Ho-bin | Nominated | |||
| Best International Feature Film | No Other Choice | Nominated | |||
| Palm Springs International Film Festival | January 12, 2026 | Best International Feature Film | Nominated | [126] | |
| Music City Film Critics Association | January 12, 2026 | Best International Feature Film | Nominated | [127] | |
| Hawaii Film Critics Society | January 12, 2026 | Best Foreign Language Film | Nominated | [128] | |
| Golden Tomato Awards | January 13, 2026 | Best Limited Movies | Nominated | [129] | |
| Best International | Nominated | ||||
| Chicago Indie Critics | January 15, 2026 | Best International Film | Nominated | [130] | |
| Utah Film Critics Association | January 17, 2026 | Best Non-English Language Feature | Nominated | [131] | |
| Houston Film Critics Society | January 20, 2026 | Best Foreign Language Feature | Nominated | [132] | |
| Denver Film Critics Society | January 24, 2026 | Best Non-English Language Feature | Nominated | [133] | |
| DiscussingFilm’s Global Film Critics Awards | January 24–25, 2026 | Best Picture | 3rd Place | [134] | |
| Best Director | Park Chan-wook | 2nd Place | |||
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Park Chan-wook, Don McKellar, Lee Kyoung-mi, and Lee Ja-hye | 3rd Place | |||
| Best Actor | Lee Byung-hun | Nominated | |||
| Best Film Editing | Kim Sang-bum, Kim Ho-bin | 3rd Place | |||
| Online Film Critics Society | January 26, 2026 | Best Picture | No Other Choice | 8th Place | [135] |
| Best Film Not in the English Language | Nominated | ||||
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Park Chan-wook, Don McKellar, Lee Kyoung-mi, and Lee Ja-hye | Nominated | |||
| Best Editing | Kim Sang-bum, Kim Ho-bin | Nominated | |||
| North Carolina Film Critics Association | January 26, 2026 | Best Narrative Film | No Other Choice | Nominated | [136] |
| Best Foreign Language Film | Nominated | ||||
| Best Director | Park Chan-wook | Nominated | |||
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Park Chan-wook, Don McKellar, Lee Kyoung-mi, and Lee Ja-hye | Nominated | |||
| Best Cinematography | Kim Woo-hyung, Kim Min-jae | Nominated | |||
| Best Editing | Kim Sang-bum, Kim Ho-bin | Nominated | |||
| Midnight Critics Circle | January 28, 2026 | Best Picture | No Other Choice | Nominated | [137] |
| Best International Feature | Nominated | ||||
| Best Director | Park Chan-wook | Nominated | |||
| Best Actor | Lee Byung-hun | Nominated | |||
| Best Supporting Actress | Son Ye-jin | Nominated | |||
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Park Chan-wook, Don McKellar, Lee Kyoung-mi, and Lee Ja-hye | Runner-up | |||
| Best Editing | Kim Sang-bum, Kim Ho-bin | Runner-up | |||
| Best Cinematography | Kim Woo-hyung, Kim Min-jae | Nominated | |||
| London Film Critics Circle Awards | February 1, 2026 | Foreign Language Film of the Year | No Other Choice | Nominated | [138] |
| International Cinephile Society | February 8, 2026 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Park Chan-wook, Lee Kyoung-mi, Don McKellar, Jahye Lee | Nominated | [139] |
| The Online Film & Television Association | February 15, 2026 | Best Foreign Language Film | No Other Choice | Nominated | [140] |
| Best Movie Poster | Runner-up | ||||
| British Academy Film Awards | February 22, 2026 | Best Film Not in the English Language | Longlisted | [141] | |
| Gold Derby Film Awards | February 26, 2026 | Best International Feature | Nominated | [142] | |
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Park Chan-wook, Don McKellar, Lee Kyoung-mi, and Lee Ja-hye | Nominated | |||
| Best Film Editing | Kim Sang-bum, Kim Ho-bin | Nominated | |||
| Dorian Award | March 3, 2026 | Non-English Language Film of the Year | No Other Choice | Nominated | [143] |
| Unforgettable Awards | March 7, 2026 | Director Award | Park Chan-wook | Honored | [144] |
| Satellite Award | March 10, 2026 | Best International Film | No Other Choice | Nominated | [145] |
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Park Chan-wook, Don McKellar, Lee Kyoung-mi, and Lee Ja-hye | Nominated | |||
| Academy Awards | March 15, 2026 | Best International Feature Film | No Other Choice | Shortlisted | [146] |
| Baeksang Arts Awards | May 8, 2026 | Best Film | Won | [147] [148] | |
| Best Director | Park Chan-wook | Nominated | |||
| Best Actor | Lee Byung-hun | Nominated | |||
| Best Actress | Son Ye-jin | Nominated | |||
| Best Supporting Actor | Lee Sung-min | Won | |||
| Best Supporting Actress | Yeom Hye-ran | Nominated | |||
| Best Technical Achievement | Kim Woo-hyung | Nominated | |||
| Director's Cut Awards | May 19, 2026 | Best Director (Film) | Park Chan-wook | Won | [149] [150] |
| Best Screenplay (Film) | Park Chan-wook, Lee Kyung-mi, Don McKellar, Lee Ja-hye | Nominated | |||
| Best Actress (Film) | Son Ye-jin | Nominated | |||
| Best Actor (Film) | Lee Byung-hun | Nominated | |||
| Best New Actress (Film) | Yeom Hye-ran | Won | |||
| Best New Actor (Film) | Park Hee-soon | Nominated | |||
| Golden Trailer Awards | May 28, 2026 | Best Independent Trailer | No Other Choice – Deep Breaths, NEON, Requiem | Nominated | [151] [152] |
| Best Foreign Teaser | No Other Choice – The Axe Teaser, NEON, Aspect | Won | |||
| Golden Cinematography Awards | June 8, 2026 | Best Actress | Son Ye-jin | Won | [153] |
