Bugonia Isn't Likely to Be Stranger Than the Sci-Fi Psychological Drama It's Inspired By
Aegean surrealist director Yorgos Lanthimos is known for distinctly odd movies. The narratives he creates veer into the bizarre, for instance The Lobster, a film where single people need to find love or face changed into beasts. Whenever he interprets existing material, he tends to draw from original works that’s quite peculiar too — odder, perhaps, than his cinematic take. This proved true regarding the recent Poor Things, an adaptation of author Alasdair Gray's wonderfully twisted novel, a pro-female, liberated reimagining of Frankenstein. Lanthimos’ version stands strong, but partially, his particular flavor of weirdness and the author's cancel each other out.
Lanthimos’ Next Pick
His following selection to interpret similarly emerged from the fringes. The original work for Bugonia, his recent project alongside acclaimed performer Emma Stone, comes from 2004’s Save the Green Planet!, a bewildering Korean mix of styles of science fiction, black comedy, horror, irony, psychological thriller, and cop drama. It's an unusual piece not so much for what it’s about — though that is highly unconventional — but due to the frenzied excess of its tone and narrative approach. It’s a wild, wild ride.
A New Wave of Filmmaking
There likely existed a creative spirit in South Korea in the early 2000s. Save the Green Planet!, helmed by Jang Joon-hwan, was included in an explosion of stylistically bold, boundary-pushing movies from fresh voices of filmmakers including Bong Joon Ho and Park Chan-wook. It debuted alongside Bong’s Memories of Murder and the filmmaker's Oldboy. Save the Green Planet! isn't as acclaimed as those two crime masterpieces, but it’s got a lot in common with them: graphic brutality, morbid humor, pointed observations, and bending rules.
The Plot Unfolds
Save the Green Planet! is about a troubled protagonist who abducts a chemical-company executive, thinking he's an alien originating in another galaxy, with plans to invade Earth. Initially, the premise is played as broad comedy, and the protagonist, Lee Byeong-gu (Shin Ha-kyun known for Park’s Joint Security Area and Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance), appears as an endearing eccentric. Together with his innocent circus-performer girlfriend Su-ni (the actress Hwang) wear slick rainwear and absurd helmets adorned with mental shields, and use menthol rub in combat. However, they manage in seizing drunken CEO Kang Man-shik (actor Baek) and bringing him to the protagonist's isolated home, a ramshackle house/lab constructed in a former excavation in a rural area, home to his apiary.
Shifting Tones
Hereafter, the film veers quickly into something more grotesque. Lee fastens Kang to a budget-Cronenberg torture chair and physically abuses him while spouting absurd conspiracy theories, ultimately forcing his kind girlfriend away. However, Kang isn't helpless; fueled entirely by the belief of his own superiority, he is prepared and capable to endure terrifying trials just to try to escape and exert power over the mentally unstable younger man. At the same time, a notably inept police hunt to find the criminal gets underway. The officers' incompetence and lack of skill echoes Memories of Murder, even if it’s not so clearly intentional within a story with plotting that appears haphazard and spontaneous.
Constant Shifts
Save the Green Planet! continues racing ahead, driven by its manic force, defying conventions along the way, well past you might expect it to find stability or lose energy. At moments it appears to be a drama on instability and pharmaceutical abuse; in parts it transforms into a fantasy allegory regarding the indifference of corporate culture; in turns it's a claustrophobic thriller or a sloppy cop movie. Director Jang applies equal measure of feverish dedication throughout, and Shin Ha-kyun delivers a standout performance, although Lee Byeong-gu continuously shifts between savant prophet, charming oddball, and dangerous lunatic as required by the movie’s constant shifts across style, angle, and events. One could argue it's by design, not a flaw, but it might feel quite confusing.
Intentional Disorientation
It's plausible Jang aimed to confuse viewers, of course. Similar to numerous Korean films during that period, Save the Green Planet! is driven by an exuberant rejection for genre limits on one side, and a profound fury about human cruelty additionally. It stands as a loud proclamation of a society establishing its international presence during emerging financial and artistic liberties. One can look forward to witness how Lanthimos views the original plot from contemporary America — perhaps, a contrasting viewpoint.
Save the Green Planet! can be viewed online without charge.