🔗 Share this article Bugonia Isn't Likely to Be More Bizarre Than the Science Fiction Psychological Drama It's Adapted From Greek surrealist filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos specializes in distinctly odd movies. His unique screenplays defy convention, such as The Lobster, in which singletons must partner up or face transformed into creatures. In adapting existing material, he tends to draw from basis material that’s quite peculiar also — more bizarre, possibly, than the version he creates. Such was the situation regarding the recent Poor Things, a film version of author Alasdair Gray's gloriously perverse novel, a feminist, liberated spin on Frankenstein. The director's adaptation is effective, but to some extent, his specific style of eccentricity and the novelist's balance each other. His New Adaptation Lanthimos’ next pick to bring to screen was likewise drawn from far out in left field. The basis for Bugonia, his latest project alongside leading actress Emma Stone, comes from 2004’s Save the Green Planet!, a confounding Korean genre stew of sci-fi, black comedy, horror, irony, dark psychodrama, and cop drama. It’s a strange film less because of its subject matter — though that is decidedly unusual — but due to the chaotic extremity of its mood and storytelling style. It's an insane journey. A Korean Cinema Explosion It seems there was something in the air across Korea in the early 2000s. Save the Green Planet!, written and directed by Jang Joon-hwan, was part of a boom of audacious in style, innovative movies from fresh voices of filmmakers such as 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! isn't as acclaimed as those celebrated works, but it shares many traits with them: extreme violence, dark comedy, bitter social commentary, and defying expectations. Image: Tartan Video The Plot Unfolds Save the Green Planet! revolves around a troubled protagonist who kidnaps a corporate CEO, believing he’s an extraterrestrial originating in another galaxy, intent on world domination. Initially, the premise is presented as broad comedy, and the protagonist, Lee Byeong-gu (the performer known for Park’s Joint Security Area and Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance), comes across as a lovably deluded fool. Together with his naive acrobat girlfriend Su-ni (Hwang Jung-min) sport black PVC ponchos and absurd helmets fitted with psyche-protection gear, and use menthol rub in combat. However, they manage in abducting intoxicated executive Kang Man-shik (actor Baek) and bringing him to Byeong-gu’s remote property, a ramshackle house/lab constructed at a mining site in a rural area, home to his apiary. Growing Tension From this point, the film veers quickly into increasingly disturbing. The protagonist ties Kang to a budget-Cronenberg torture chair and subjects him to harm while ranting bizarre plots, eventually driving the gentle Su-ni away. But Kang is no victim; driven solely by the conviction of his own superiority, he is prepared and capable to undergo awful experiences just to try to escape and dominate the clearly unwell kidnapper. Simultaneously, a comically inadequate investigation for the abductor commences. The cops’ witlessness and clumsiness echoes Memories of Murder, though it may not be as deliberate in a movie with a plot that seems slapdash and unrehearsed. Image: Tartan Video A Frenetic Journey Save the Green Planet! continues racing ahead, fueled by its own crazed energy, trampling genre norms without pause, long after you might expect it to find stability or falter. At moments it appears like a serious story on instability and overmedication; in parts it transforms into a metaphorical narrative on the cruelty of corporate culture; sometimes it’s a claustrophobic thriller or an incompetent police story. Jang Joon-hwan maintains a consistent degree of hysterical commitment throughout, and the performer shines, even though the character of Byeong-gu constantly changes from wise seer, endearing eccentric, and terrifying psycho depending on the film's ever-changing tone across style, angle, and events. One could argue this is intentional, not a mistake, but it may prove quite confusing. Intentional Disorientation It's plausible Jang aimed to confuse viewers, mind. Like so many Korean films from that era, Save the Green Planet! is driven by a joyful, extreme defiance for genre limits partly, and a genuine outrage about societal brutality additionally. It stands as a loud proclamation of a nation finding its global voice during emerging financial and cultural freedoms. It will be fascinating to witness Lanthimos' perspective on the original plot from contemporary America — arguably, a contrasting viewpoint. Save the Green Planet! can be viewed online for free.