20h15, South Korea 2003, 116min., english subtitles
A traumatized young man abducts Korean leaders, believing they're toxic
reptilian aliens - a fifth column launching a takeover of beloved Earth.
Stumped law enforcement geniuses half-seriously hire a disgraced,
disheveled private detective with a long-ago history of super-crime
solving. The alienated South Korean youngster Lee Byeong-gu builds an
isolated basement command post/torture chamber/film studio to force the
awful truth out of the slimy, uncooperative politicians and
businesspeople, then alert the public. Byeong-gu is helped by his
devoted girlfriend, who buys his theories, but wonders if his horrible
childhood has colored his thinking.
Parts of Save the Green Planet are darkly comedic, but
even these moments are laced with a grim, gritty, malevolent cruelty.
The majority of the film is a thriller, as pitiful, insane Byeong-gu Lee
(Ha-kyun Shin, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance) kidnaps a rich
executive named Man-shik Kang, believing him to be an alien from
Andromeda. Kang faces cruel torture at the hands of his captor, who
genuinely believes he is saving the planet. Meanwhile, several police
detectives are searching desperately for the missing man.
Sometimes, you get a lot more than you bargained for in a film. Although
I found Save the Green Planet disturbing and unsettling, I have to
admit that it's a far more impressive film than I expected. It has one
of the most powerful commentaries on human nature I have ever seen,
mostly because it shows how quickly we dispense with humanity as soon as
there is some greater cause. The violence at the end of this film would
be cathartic in most other thrillers, but here it just feels
heartbreaking: yet another unnecessary tragic death.
Save the Green Planet is also a film that shouldn't have
worked. Thanks to a truly incredible cast and some razor-sharp and
intense cinematography, director Jun-hwan Jeong jerks us viciously
through a wide range of emotions. The film is a vicious roller coaster,
eliciting wry laughs, cringes of pain and moments of thoughtful
reflection. Although it's not always an enjoyable film, it had me in its
clutches from the first minute.
Realistically, Save the Green Planet isn't for everyone. In fact, I can
only really recommend it to adventurous viewers with strong stomachs who
also like to think. It makes an interesting companion piece to Oldboy,
though, if only for a similar outlook on human nature. This is a film
that deserves to be watched and talked about, though, despite the lack
of attention it has received.
22h15: France 1987, 87min., english subtitles
Quite an unusual film in French cinema. It deals with an unsuccessful
theatre troop trying to revive the Grand Guignol. It's kind of a comedy
with very desperate characters, adultery, voyeurism, sleazy situations,
weird fantasy sequences and plenty of fun special effects. No
masterpiece but definitely a strange object.
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