Overview

• The world premiere on the Lido drew a sustained standing ovation and some of the festival’s strongest early reviews.
• The jet-black comedy follows a veteran paper worker pushed to extremes after a layoff, adapting Donald E. Westlake’s The Ax.
• Park said the project took about 20 years to mount as he waited for a budget he considered sufficient and updated the story for AI-driven workplaces.
• Neon holds North American rights and Mubi covers multiple territories, with Busan’s opening-night slot on Sept. 17, a Korea release on Sept. 24, and Toronto and New York festival berths to come.
• Reports that Park and co-writer Don McKellar were expelled from the WGA remain disputed and have not disrupted the film’s festival plans.