Genre-blending exercises are often seen as a risky venture as many would be ready to pounce on a movie for not following a distinct, identifiable path. Indian mainstream films often blend genres, but mostly to a migraine-inducing effect. Even in the best genre-blending Indian movies, melodrama or colorful songs serves as a much required connecting bridge to ease the audience. A mad-cap energy and unchecked ambition are eschewed out of these Indian masala films. Kamal Haasan’s “Abhay aka Aalavandhan” (2000) is one fine example for an Indian film that tried to coalesce endemic sub-genres with unlimited energy. It tried to be an action thriller (the kind we witness in Hong Kong films); a stoner/psychopath film (as in Hollywood); a romance; a psychological thriller; and also incorporated Bollywood-style songs. Of course, some worked and some seemed totally out of place, but these impulsive tonal swings are something we rarely experience in cinema. Korean film-makers, like their Indian counterparts try to make poly-generic films and over the decades, they have mastered this skill than Indian film-makers.
Bong Joon-ho is one such excellent poly-generic film-maker
(“The Host”, “Snowpiercer”). But, Jang Joon-hwan’s “Save the Green Planet”
(2003) is one of the most wildly veering, genres splicing Korean film that
reached the same fate as “Abhay”. The
posters of the film would make you think of it as an offbeat sci-fi comedy. It
could be a macabre comedy as the opening sequence suggests or a wacky romantic
comedy, a police procedural, demented serial-killer movie, an alien conspiracy
tale as the later acts hints at. “Save the Green Planet” incorporates all these
types along with a rich sociopolitical subtext. The film opens with the
voice-over of Lee Byeong-gu (Shin Ha-kyun) explaining to his acrobat girlfriend
Soo-ni (Hwang Jeong-min) about the plan of masquerading aliens to take over
Earth at the next Lunar eclipse (as we saw in Hollywood films “Invasion of Body
Snatchers” or “They Live”). Lee is convinced that CEO of a renowned chemical
company, Kang Man-shik (Baek Yun-shik) hails from “Andromeda”. He suspects Kang
is the leader of aliens’ conspiracy to exploit Earth’s natural resources.
Lee also believes that by kidnapping and torturing Kang, he
could learn lot about the ‘royal genetic code’ and that through Kang, he could
destroy the ‘Andromedan Prince’, who is about to arrive on Earth by the lunar
eclipse. Lee and Soo-ni kidnaps a drunk, uncooperative Kang in his underground
garage which lends for a wonderful blackly comic sequence. Lee is always armed
with a pepper spray, a weird helmet and a garbage bag garb, which according to
him are the best elements to defend and block alien brain waves. Kang’s head is
first shaved as Lee believes hairs for the aliens are some sort of signaling
device. The kidnapped CEO is placed in an underground lair of Lee’s isolated
hillside home, which previously served as bathhouse for coal-miners. Lee works
as a honey-bee farmer and in the leisure time, he either tortures Kang or designs
mannequins for local shops.
The bigwig Kang is also the son-in law of police chief and
so the search for him becomes the first priority. An ingenious ex-detective Chu
(Lee Jae-yong) and a disgruntled young detective work together secretly and
make headway than the incompetent police force, which falls for contrived
evidences from Lee. Gradually, it is revealed that it’s not the first time Lee
has kidnapped someone. He had done prior experiments on other suspected aliens,
although it produced no valuable results. For Lee, Kang looks like the perfect
alien, since even under chains and after all the torture, Kang talks in a
lofty, influential manner. Nevertheless, Kang remembers Lee, who before spewing
alien-conspiracy tales worked in his chemical company. It is then we are filled
with Lee’s backstory and what caused this alien invasion paranoia.
Jang Joon-hwang exhibits relentless energy as a director,
especially for a debut feature (unfortunately Jang only made one full length
movie after this). The director is at his best in designing the dark humor
sequences, in poking fun at the messianic complex of American heroes, and when
Kang & Lee play their mind games. Jang’s directorial approach loses some
energy when it veers to be an intelligent police procedural. The film starts
off as an amalgamation of different genre approaches and appeared to rely on
the question of ‘is he insane or not’? However, as the narrative progresses,
there was genuine character development and multiple-layers associated with
Korean sociopolitical climate are revealed. In fact, what tried to be a goofy,
violent comedy transcends to pose contemplative questions on the human
condition. It isn’t that the script is devoid of contrivances. It has the usual
dose of Korean melodrama and an extended climax that tries too much to increase
the ambiguity. But, its manic
originality is something we can’t banish as a nonsensical drill.
The elegantly
conveyed backstory, the film’s larger message and an impeccable production
design definitely demands a second-viewing. Bullying is one of the primary
themes explored in the film. Bullying of strong against weak and the man’s bullying
nature towards the environment seems to have played a vital role in protagonist
Lee’s transformation. Director Jang draws wonderful parallels from the
exploitation experienced by Lee in the society with the industrial exploitation
spear-headed by governments and corporates. Jang’s choice of Kangwon province
as Lee’s abode is said to lend the socioeconomic significance to the tale. Kangwon,
now a rich casino land, once was a coal-mining town. In the 1980’s when the
government took forward its ‘improving economy’ agenda, the miners lost their
jobs, which later resulted in protests and bloodshed. In the narrative, CEO
Kang and insane Lee gradually transform to become symbols for the persistent
struggle between rich and poor. In the cases of demented killers, the question
of nature vs nurture is repeatedly raised. Here, Lee was badly exploited by both
nature as well as nurture.
“Save the Green Planet” (118 minutes) is a wildly innovative
effort that tries to avoid clear-cut generic labeling. Not everything works
here in this genre-blending flick, but it should be watched for its unbridled
energy and fascinating emotional core.
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