[E-Daily Starin YUN GI BACK Reporter] Director Park Chan-wook’s film “I Can’t Help It” is returning to theaters in an extended cut that is 19 minutes longer than the theatrical version.

According to distributor CJ ENM on the 16th, “There’s Nothing We Can Do: Extended Edition” will be released starting on the 16th via Internet Protocol Television (IPTV), digital cable TV, and online and mobile video-on-demand services. The runtime, which was 138 minutes during its theatrical release, has been extended to 157 minutes, with scenes and dialogue omitted from the original version newly included.
The focus of this extended edition is not simply to increase the volume of the story. While the theatrical version densely followed the flow of events and tension centered on Man-soo, the extended edition delves more deeply into the emotional rifts within the family by expanding on the daily lives and relationships of the supporting characters.
New scenes have been added, including the sequence featuring Man-soo and Mi-ri after they leave the cello practice room, as well as Ri-won’s daily life, the relationship between Mi-ri and Ri-won, and new episodes set at Oh Jin-ho’s dental office. The truth surrounding Si-won, the scenes at the job training center, and the moments the family faces after the incident have also been reworked with a more extended pacing and new dialogue.
Through these additions, not only the marital relationship between Mi-ri and Man-soo but also the anxieties each character has been hiding and the motivations behind their choices are revealed in a more multidimensional way. By filling in the emotional gaps that were glossed over in the theatrical version, the film’s black comedy and tragic elements are expected to become even more vivid. For audiences who haven’t yet seen the film, it is expected to hold special significance as they can experience Director Park Chan-wook’s signature intricate direction and character dynamics through the expanded narrative from the very beginning.
“I Can’t Help It” tells the story of Man-soo (Lee Byung-hun), a company employee whose life was so fulfilling that he felt he had “achieved it all,” but who, after being suddenly laid off, prepares for his own personal battle to find a new job in order to protect his wife and two children and keep the home he worked so hard to acquire. The film stars Lee Byung-hun, Son Ye-jin, Park Hee-soon, Lee Sung-min, Yeom Hye-ran, and Cha Seung-won.