Director Park Chan-wook’s “No Other Choice,” an official competition entry at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, received nearly nine minutes of standing ovation after its world premiere on August 29 (local time). International media also showered praise, calling it “terrifyingly entertaining” and “this year’s ‘Parasite.’” Attention now turns to whether Park will raise a trophy in Venice this year.

The film held its world premiere during the festival’s prime Friday night slot at the Sala Grande theater. Just 10 minutes before the screening, Park and cast members Lee Byung-hun, Son Ye-jin, Park Hee-soon, Lee Sung-min, and Yeom Hye-ran walked the red carpet to thunderous cheers.

Some in the crowd excitedly shouted “Lee!” when they spotted Lee Byung-hun, widely known for his role as the Front Man in the Netflix series “Squid Game.” Director Park, who has even held a solo photo exhibition, brought a camera and filmed the scene himself. CJ Vice Chairperson Miky Lee, the film’s executive producer, also attended the screening.

The black comedy follows Man-su (played by Lee Byung-hun), an office worker who feels his life is complete until he is suddenly laid off. To protect his wife, Miri (played by Son Ye-jin), and their two children, he launches his own personal war to get re-employed.

The audience burst into laughter at the ironic comedic moments and sighed at the painful depictions of unemployment. When the 139-minute film ended and the credits rolled, all 1,032 seats of the theater rose to give a standing ovation lasting about nine minutes.

At a press conference before the screening, Park said, “Many people living in modern capitalist societies experience the fear of job insecurity. Whenever I shared this story, no matter the era or the country, people always responded that it felt relevant and timely. That’s why I couldn’t let go of this project for 20 years.”

In an interview with Korean media on August 30, Park said, “Recently, we rented a theater in Paris for a screening with Director Costa-Gavras’ family. They loved it, and I was overwhelmed to tears to see a journey that began in 2009 finally come to fruition.”

“No Other Choice” has earned strong reviews, including a 100 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. U.S. entertainment outlet Variety wrote, “Park Chan-wook may be the most elegant filmmaker alive.” The Guardian said that the new film “may not be Park’s masterpiece but it is the best film in the Venice competition so far.” Deadline praised actor Lee as “a surprise slapstick master whose presence is an anarchic fusion of Mads Mikkelsen and Buster Keaton.”

This year’s competition includes 21 entries vying for the Golden Lion. Among them are “Bugonia,” Yorgos Lanthimos’s remake of the Korean film “Save the Green Planet!”, “Jay Kelly,” Noah Baumbach’s new film starring George Clooney, and Guillermo del Toro’s Netflix production “Frankenstein,” which received a 15-minute standing ovation after its screening on August 30.