Cinema Art Bethesda screens 'No Other Choice'

A local film screening is only interesting if there’s a reason to leave the couch. This one has a few. Cinema Art Bethesda is bringing Park Chan-wook’s *No Other Choice* to Landmark Bethesda Row Cinema on Sunday, May 3, and it’s not just a drop-in showtime — it’s a curated morning screening with breakfast and a post-film discussion. The movie itself already has heat around it, but the format is the real hook here. It turns a new-ish arthouse release into a small event. (cinemaartbethesda.org) ### What exactly is happening? Cinema Art Bethesda is presenting one screening of *No Other Choice* on Sunday, May 3, 2026, at 10 a.m. The venue is Landmark Bethesda Row Cinema at 7235 Woodmont Avenue in Bethesda. Doors for the social part open earlier — breakfast starts at 9:30 a.m. — so this is built more like a film-club Sunday than a standard commercial show. (cinemaartbethesda.org) ### Is this a regular theater booking? Not really. The catch is that Cinema Art Bethesda is a presenting series, not the theater itself. The group programs monthly international and art-house screenings, then uses Landmark Bethesda Row as the venue. So if you’re expecting the usual online ticketing grid and a bunch of showt(cinemaartbethesda.org)lm society. (cinemaartbethesda.org) ### What kind of movie is “No Other Choice”? It’s Park Chan-wook in dark-comic, nasty, socially pointed mode. The film follows Man-su, a longtime paper-company employee who gets laid off and becomes consumed by the hunt for a new job. The setup comes from Donald E. Westlake’s novel *The Ax*, and the premise is basically workplace desperation pushed past moralit(cinemaartbethesda.org)d the film is in Korean and English with English subtitles. (cinemaartbethesda.org) ### Why are people paying attention to this one? Because it’s not just “the new Park Chan-wook movie.” It arrived with serious festival and art-house momentum. BAM describes it as South Korea’s Academy Awards submission and notes its long standing ovation at Venice, while Film at Lincoln Center says it’s already playing in theat(cinemaartbethesda.org)estival object and becomes something local audiences can actually gather around. (bam.org) ### What do you get with the ticket? A $15 ticket gets you the movie, a light breakfast — bagel, cream cheese, coffee, and tea — and a moderated post-film discussion. Cash or check only, which is charmingly old-school and also worth knowing before you show up. That discussion piece matters more than it sounds. Park’s films tend to leave people wanting to argue(bam.org)dy, a joke, or both. (cinemaartbethesda.org) ### Is this for Park fans only? No. If anything, this is a good entry point for people who like prestige thrillers but don’t always chase festival cinema. The premise is simple, the stakes are legible, and the social satire is pretty direct — job loss, status panic, middle-class anxiety, bad choices snowballing into worse ones. You do not need a Park Chan-wook (cinemaartbethesda.org)the appeal is obvious. (cinemaartbethesda.org) ### So why does the local screening matter? Because repertory-style events give movies a second life. Instead of getting buried in the churn of streaming and multiplex turnover, a film like *No Other Choice* gets framed, introduced, and talked through with an audience that actually came for it. That changes the experience. A bla(cinemaartbethesda.org)ull of people ready to unpack it. (cinemaartbethesda.org) ### Bottom line This is less “catch a movie” and more “go to a film morning.” If that sounds good, the useful details are simple: Sunday, May 3, 10 a.m., Landmark Bethesda Row, $15, breakfast at 9:30, discussion after. The movie is the draw — but the format is why this screening stands out. (cinemaartbethesda.org)