Even in a box-office cold spell, standout films still break through. Korean cinema may be in a lull, but there were bright spots―and the brightest at this year’s Blue Dragon Film Awards was ‘No Other Choice.’
At the 46th Blue Dragon Film Awards, held Nov. 19 at KBS Hall in Yeouido, Seoul, ‘No Other Choice’ led the night with six wins: Best Picture, Best Director (Park Chan-wook), Best Actress (Son Ye-jin), Best Supporting Actor (Lee Sung-min), Music (Cho Young-wuk) and the Technical Award (Cho Sang-kyung).
Park Chan-wook’s first feature in three years, the CJ ENM-backed ‘No Other Choice’ follows Mansu (Lee Byung-hun), a contented company man whose life is upended by a sudden layoff. Determined to protect his wife, two kids and the home they fought to buy, he wages a personal war to claw his way back into the workforce.
After a splashy start in Venice competition in August, the film drew polarized reactions at home upon its September release. Despite critical raves abroad, domestic audiences were split, and the movie fell shy of the 3 million mark with 2.93 million admissions. Still, it sparked fierce debate and injected some long-missed energy into the local film conversation.
‘No Other Choice’ has been selected as South Korea’s entry for the upcoming Academy Awards in the International Feature category. Park Chan-wook and Lee Byung-hun are currently in the U.S., gearing up for awards season.
Park was unable to attend due to commitments in the U.S., but his collaborators had a big night: Son Ye-jin and Lee Sung-min took home lead and supporting acting honors for their Park-crafted characters, while longtime teammates Cho Young-wuk (music) and costume designer Cho Sang-kyung earned major craft prizes.
There was also an upset. Best Actor went to Hyun Bin for ‘Harbin’―a career-peak turn―over a heavyweight slate that included Lee Byung-hun (‘No Other Choice’), Park Jung-min (‘The Ugly’), Sol Kyung-gu (‘A Normal Family’) and Cho Jung-seok (‘My Daughter Is a Zombie’). The Blue Dragons often spring surprises in the Best Actress race; this year, the shock came on the men’s side.
The new performer categories favored potential over profile. Ahn Bo-hyun, who seemed genuinely stunned onstage, was named Best New Actor for ‘Pretty Crazy,’ while Kim Do-yeon won Best New Actress for ‘Idiot Girls and School Ghost: School Anniversary,’ noting her roots as a K-pop idol as she reflected on the award’s meaning.
The 46th Blue Dragon Film Awards considered Korean films released in theaters or on streaming from October 2024 over the subsequent year. Winners were determined by a combination of expert surveys, an eight-member jury and online voting.
-Winners of the 46th Blue Dragon Film Awards-
▲ Best Picture = ‘No Other Choice’
▲ Best Actress = Son Ye-jin (‘No Other Choice’)
▲ Best Actor = Hyun Bin (‘Harbin’)
▲ Best Director = Park Chan-wook (‘No Other Choice’)
▲ Best Supporting Actress = Park Ji-hyeon (‘Hidden Face’)
▲ Best Supporting Actor = Lee Sung-min (‘No Other Choice’)
▲ Chung Jung One Popular Star Award = JINYOUN, Hyun Bin, Son Ye-jin, Yoona
▲ Chung Jung One Short Film Award = ‘In Our Day’
▲ Music (Score) = Cho Young-wuk (‘No Other Choice’)
▲ Technical Award = Cho Sang-kyung (‘No Other Choice’)
▲ Art Direction = Lee Na-gyeom (‘Uprising’)
▲ Editing = Nam Na-yeong (‘Hi-FIVE’)
▲ Cinematography & Lighting = Hong Kyung-pyo and Park Jung-woo (‘Harbin’)
▲ Screenplay = Kim Hyung-ju and Yoon Jong-bin (‘The Match’)
▲ Top Admissions (Most-Viewed Film) = ‘My Daughter Is a Zombie’
▲ Best New Director = Kim Hye-young (‘It’s Okay!’)
▲ Best New Actress = Kim Do-yeon (‘Idiot Girls and School Ghost: School Anniversary’)
▲ Best New Actor = Ahn Bo-hyun (‘Pretty Crazy’)
(SBS Entertainment News | Kim Ji-hye)