Bugonia Can't Possibly Be More Bizarre Than the Science Fiction Psychological Drama It's Based On
Aegean surrealist filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos specializes in highly unusual movies. The narratives he creates veer into the bizarre, like The Lobster, in which singletons must partner up or else be being turned into animals. In adapting someone else’s work, he often selects basis material that’s rather eccentric too — odder, possibly, than his cinematic take. Such was the situation regarding the recent Poor Things, a film version of author Alasdair Gray's gloriously perverse novel, an empowering, sex-positive take on Frankenstein. His film is good, but partially, his specific style of oddity and Gray’s cancel each other out.
The Director's Latest Choice
Lanthimos’ next pick for adaptation also came from unexpected territory. The basis for Bugonia, his recent project alongside leading actress Emma Stone, comes from 2004’s Save the Green Planet!, a bewildering Korean fusion of science fiction, black comedy, horror, satire, psychological thriller, and police procedural. It’s a strange film less because of what it’s about — even if that's far from normal — but due to the wild intensity of its atmosphere and directorial method. The film is a rollercoaster.
A New Wave of Filmmaking
There must have been a creative spirit in South Korea at the start of the millennium. Save the Green Planet!, written and directed by Jang Joon-hwan, was included in an explosion of stylistically bold, groundbreaking movies from fresh voices of filmmakers including Bong Joon Ho and Park Chan-wook. It debuted alongside Bong’s Memories of Murder and Park’s Oldboy. Save the Green Planet! isn't as acclaimed as those iconic films, but it shares many traits with them: graphic brutality, dark comedy, sharp societal critique, and defying expectations.
The Plot Unfolds
Save the Green Planet! focuses on a troubled protagonist who kidnaps a chemical-company executive, believing he’s an extraterrestrial from the planet Andromeda, plotting an attack. Early on, this concept unfolds as broad comedy, and the lead, Lee Byeong-gu (the actor Shin from Park’s Joint Security Area and Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance), seems like a lovably deluded fool. Together with his innocent acrobat girlfriend Su-ni (the star) wear plastic capes and absurd helmets fitted with psyche-protection gear, and use ointment for defense. Yet they accomplish in seizing drunken CEO Kang Man-shik (Baek Yun-shik) and bringing him to the protagonist's isolated home, a ramshackle house/lab constructed in a former excavation in the mountains, which houses his beehives.
A Descent into Darkness
From this point, the narrative turns into ever more unsettling. The protagonist ties Kang to a budget-Cronenberg torture chair and inflicts pain while ranting absurd conspiracy theories, eventually driving the innocent partner away. However, Kang isn't helpless; fueled entirely by the conviction of his innate dominance, he can and will to undergo awful experiences to attempt an exit and dominate the mentally unstable kidnapper. Meanwhile, a deeply unimpressive manhunt for the kidnapper gets underway. The cops’ witlessness and lack of skill recalls Memories of Murder, even if the similarity might be accidental in a film with plotting that seems slapdash and improvised.
A Frenetic Journey
Save the Green Planet! continues racing ahead, driven by its manic force, defying conventions along the way, even when it seems likely it to find stability or run out of steam. At moments it appears as a character study about mental health and excessive drug use; at other times it becomes a symbolic tale about the callousness of capitalism; in turns it's a dirty, tense scare-fest or a bumbling detective tale. Director Jang applies equal measure of hysterical commitment throughout, and the lead actor shines, even though the protagonist constantly changes from visionary, endearing eccentric, and frightening madman in response to the movie’s constant shifts in tone, perspective, and plot. It seems this is intentional, not a mistake, but it might feel quite confusing.
Designed to Confuse
Jang probably consciously intended to unsettle spectators, mind. Similar to numerous Korean films from that era, Save the Green Planet! is driven by an exuberant rejection for artistic rules in one aspect, and a genuine outrage about human cruelty in another respect. It stands as a loud proclamation of a society gaining worldwide recognition alongside fresh commercial and social changes. One can look forward to observe how Lanthimos views the original plot from contemporary America — possibly, an opposite perspective.
Save the Green Planet! can be viewed online for free.
