The Screenwriter Details the Countless Unexpected Twists of the New Sci-Fi Film

The film writer the writer barely recalls what transpires in Save the Green Planet!. That’s a bit of a surprise, considering he wrote the screenplay for Yorgos Lanthimos’s new reimagining of the 2003 Korean dark sci-fi comedy. Rather than poring over the source material for inspiration, the writer behind his previous work viewed the film a single time, jotted down some thoughts, and got to work.

“I watched the original the one time,” the screenwriter says. “My memory was foggy on the movie all that well. I didn't want to feel as though I had to be slavishly following or recreating or honoring another filmmaker's work. The most respectful approach to those movies was to have them exist independently.”

While the premise of a emotionally troubled man (the actor in Bugonia) who abducts a pharmaceutical executive he’s certain is an extraterrestrial hiding on Earth is pretty much the identical in each movie, the variations are considerable. For one thing, Tracy re-envisioned the executive character, originally male in Jang Joon-hwan’s first version, as a female character. (The director cast his frequent collaborator the actress in the part.) The endings vary a bit as well, in the way they tackle their shared core mystery: Is this person an alien in disguise or not really?

The screenwriter believes that resolution is somewhat irrelevant.

“I wasn't really focused on the twist aspect,” he says. “I didn't want the movie to just be a toy that performs one surprise, and then once it does that surprise, it's like: Alright, so what's next?”

Nevertheless, he has a lot to say on the subject. Our discussion with the screenwriter covered Bugonia’s ending and what it all means, along with the ways he and the director collaborated to execute those surprises.

Spoiler Alert: Full spoilers follow for the conclusion of Bugonia.

Therefore, is the character an extraterrestrial or not?

Short answer: Absolutely.

Just like in the original film, the conclusion of this version discloses that the CEO, a big pharma CEO named her character, is in fact alien royalty in disguise. Once she manipulates her captor Teddy (the actor) into killing himself using her teleportation technology, she beams back up to her alien vessel.

The reality that this comes as a surprise is a proof to her performance. Throughout the 118-minute movie, she maintains suspense through a layered portrayal that may require multiple viewings to comprehend entirely.

“Emma frequently discussed how it was the first time she had to act where she felt she had to be conscious of people watching the movie a second time. How those rewatching are going to think,” Tracy explains. "She was aware the upon a repeat viewing a person watches this movie, They know that I know that I'm… you know?”

Tracy pauses, before adding, “So she had to be aware this awareness in her acting.”

Designing the Andromedons and their vessel

After the CEO finally does reveal her real identity, we get a brief glimpse of her ship and fellow aliens before the film concludes. Their ship has a unique design, which Tracy reveals was intended to look like a sea creature while steering clear of high-tech visuals.

“[The director] was really fascinated by almost like a jellyfish-type design for the vessel, something quite organic,” Tracy says.

They should feel strangely somewhat tribal or ancient.

The aliens' attire is equally fascinating as their vessel: rounded robes made from thick, woven cords. Again, the aim was to defy conventional science fiction.

“Regarding the attire, rather than being futuristic, they [were meant to|aimed to] appear strangely kind of tribal or basic, and yet also highly decorative and sophisticated, because it's a very detailed and beautiful design on those unusual woven outfits,” Tracy states. He adds that the director “viewed it as being a very ancient civilization. He disliked the idea of any element being sleek and silver, or some ultra-modern cosmic vision.”

The end of the world (or only humanity)

Perhaps the biggest difference between Bugonia and the original is that in the original Korean movie, the aliens respond to their leader's kidnapping and abuse by destroying planet Earth. Bugonia takes a somewhat more nuanced approach, with its beings choosing to snuff out all human life, while leaving the Earth and its remaining creatures unharmed.

“My intention to achieve in the screenplay was a depiction of Earth post-human existence,” the writer explains.

In the film's conclusion, we see a sequence of scenes of life across the planet. All humans are deceased where they were located just before, but the world continues. What we, as an audience, are supposed to interpret all this is up for debate. Is the ending of the film optimistic or bleak? Are people doomed or deserving of rescue? Would the world be improved without us?

The screenwriter does not wish to provide a clear resolution in any direction.

“Some people see it as a very bleak conclusion, or a tragic ending, a despairing outcome,” he says. “Other people view it as being a strangely optimistic or happy ending. In my opinion there are various interpretations to read it.”

Bugonia is in limited theatrical release now, with a broader opening on Halloween.