🔗 Share this article Bugonia Can't Possibly Be More Bizarre Than the Science Fiction Psychological Drama It's Inspired By Greek avant-garde director Yorgos Lanthimos specializes in highly unusual movies. His unique screenplays veer into the bizarre, such as The Lobster, in which single people are compelled to form relationships or face being turned into animals. In adapting another creator's story, he frequently picks basis material that’s rather eccentric too — odder, maybe, than his adaptation of it. This proved true for last year's Poor Things, a screen interpretation of Alasdair Gray’s delightfully aberrant novel, an empowering, open-minded spin on Frankenstein. Lanthimos’ version stands strong, but partially, his particular flavor of weirdness and the author's cancel each other out. The Director's Latest Choice His following selection for adaptation was likewise drawn from far out in left field. The original work for Bugonia, his latest project alongside acclaimed performer Emma Stone, was 2004’s Save the Green Planet!, a confounding Korean mix of styles of sci-fi, dark humor, terror, satire, psychological thriller, and cop drama. It’s a strange film not primarily due to its plot — even if that's highly unconventional — rather because of the wild intensity of its tone and narrative approach. It's an insane journey. The Burst of Korean Film There must have been a creative spirit within the country at the start of the millennium. Save the Green Planet!, helmed by Jang Joon-hwan, belonged to an explosion of stylistically bold, boundary-pushing movies from a new generation of filmmakers like Bong Joon Ho and Park Chan-wook. It debuted concurrently with Bong’s Memories of Murder and the filmmaker's Oldboy. Save the Green Planet! doesn't quite match up as those iconic films, but there are similarities with them: graphic brutality, morbid humor, sharp societal critique, and bending rules. Image: Tartan Video The Story Develops Save the Green Planet! focuses on a troubled protagonist who abducts a chemical-company executive, believing he’s an alien hailing from Andromeda, intent on world domination. Early on, that idea is played as broad comedy, and the young man, Lee Byeong-gu (Shin Ha-kyun from Park’s Joint Security Area and Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance), appears as a lovably deluded fool. He and his naive acrobat girlfriend Su-ni (the star) sport black PVC ponchos and bizarre masks adorned with psyche-protection gear, and wield balm for defense. However, they manage in seizing inebriated businessman Kang Man-shik (the performer) and taking him to the protagonist's isolated home, a ramshackle house/lab he’s built in a former excavation in the mountains, which houses his beehives. A Descent into Darkness From this point, the narrative turns into something more grotesque. Byeong-gu straps Kang to a budget-Cronenberg torture chair and physically abuses him while declaiming outlandish ideas, ultimately forcing the gentle Su-ni away. Yet the captive is resilient; powered only by the conviction of his own superiority, he is willing and able to endure horrifying ordeals to attempt an exit and exert power over the mentally unstable kidnapper. At the same time, a deeply unimpressive police hunt for the kidnapper begins. The officers' incompetence and incompetence recalls Memories of Murder, even if it may not be as deliberate within a story with a narrative that comes off as rushed and spontaneous. Image: Tartan Video Unrelenting Pace Save the Green Planet! plunges forward relentlessly, fueled by its wild momentum, breaking rules underfoot, long after one would assume it to either settle down or lose energy. Sometimes it seems to be a drama about mental health and overmedication; sometimes it’s a metaphorical narrative about the callousness of the economic system; sometimes it’s a dirty, tense scare-fest or an incompetent police story. Director Jang maintains a consistent degree of feverish dedication in all scenes, and the lead actor delivers a standout performance, even though the character of Byeong-gu keeps morphing from savant prophet, charming oddball, and terrifying psycho depending on the movie’s constant shifts in mood, viewpoint, and story. One could argue it's by design, not a bug, but it might feel rather bewildering. Designed to Confuse It's plausible Jang aimed to unsettle spectators, of course. Similar to numerous Korean films of its time, Save the Green Planet! draws energy from a gleeful, maximalist disrespect for genre limits partly, and a profound fury about man’s inhumanity to man on the other. It stands as a loud proclamation of a culture finding its global voice amid new economic and cultural freedoms. It promises to be intriguing to see the director's interpretation of the original plot from a current U.S. standpoint — possibly, a contrasting viewpoint. Save the Green Planet! can be viewed online without charge.