Should it not be fair to say in the minds of every soul seeking out an existence lies even a modicum of conspiratorial curiosity? That, even in open defiance of logic and rationality, what we consider to be truth is nothing more than a cleverly constructed illusion propped up by some faceless organisation to keep what is truth oblivious to all but a select few? Conspiracies have been abound for time immemorial but, in an age of flippant misinformation and “alternative truth” lunacy, such flirtations have become politicized, weaponized, and, in at least one particular instance, treasonous. In Jang Joon-hwan's insatiably riotous debut, far-flung craziness runs amok in the guise of Byeong-gu, a young man who believes it is up to him to Save the Green Planet from an imminent alien invasion; shockingly, he has his audience hanging upon his every word.
Almost immediately, “Save the Green Planet” dives off the deep end, leaving this plot nugget alone on some mountain face. Believing him to be an alien with a royal genetic code, an unhinged Lee Byeong-gu (a terrifying performance from Shin Ha-kyun) kidnaps chemical industrialist Kang Man-shik (an equally menacing Baek Yoon-sik at his best) for interrogation. Consumed by his obsession to learn his captive's secret plans for Earth, Byeong-gu's techniques plunge into the gratuitous and the extreme; before too long it becomes clear something far sinister is afoot, supplanting Byeong-gu's cooky innocence for sadistic depravity within the blink of an eye whilst Man-shik does all he can to stay alive, going so far as to play into his captor's apparent medicated delusions. When it becomes apparent the two share a bloodied history, this only pushes the film's lead further off the edge, pushing his girlfriend and accomplice Su-mi (Hwang Jeong-min) to leave him. Meanwhile, detectives are on the trail to recover Man-shik alive, hunting for whom they believe to be a serial killer.
Unlike its captive who remains incapacitated with varying degrees throughout its astonishing runtime, Joon-hwan's feature debut delights in wreaking havoc with boundless energy; trailblazing at breakneck speed and militaristic precision, the film's pulse synergizes with unbridled genius in unravelling its very essence, shedding away layer upon layer of zaniness until all that is left is a fragility so treacherously wronged across its brief lifespan. The thrill of never knowing when this powder keg is set to explode, or just exactly what type of film “Save the Green Planet” truly is, trumps the realization of the actual truth itself which, as luck would have it, Joon-hwan keeps under wraps right until the very end. Every new facet, every direction the film takes, feels fresh and exciting until it slaps you in the face with what is at stake – a man's life – rendering each blow Man-shik is dealt more brutal than the last. Joon-hwan masterfully keeps his audience hooked at every beat, ramping up tension and anxiety at every turn, more so when Lee Jae-yong's Inspector Choo beckons at Byeong-gu's door.
Steering this tour-de-force is Shin Ha-kyun, who seldom blinks as his tenacious Byeong-gu tortures his way to the secrets he believes Man-shik to be harboring. His obsessive flare for minutiae is reflected in his character's equally obsessive deterioration, but it is his ability in warming the audience to sympathise with him that accentuates just how dangerous an individual he truly is. He manipulates so effortlessly anyone who finds themselves not rooting for him comes across just as villainous; it isn't until those wide eyes once again focus on their prize we realise just who we are in cahoots with. Just as he unnerves, Yoon-sik simmers as the kidnapped industrialist, bracing for dear life as the torture intensifies and his grip on his own functions depletes. Much like his counterpart, Yoon-sik exhilarates in his ambiguity: is he just another victim or is he indeed the alien Byeong-gu declares him to be? The two feed off each other, vying for the upper hand in a gruesome battle of wits that is as enthralling as it is deadly.
Spending much of its runtime in the confines of Byeong-gu's basement in the middle of nowhere whilst negating claustrophobic, the production itself matches the off-grid eccentricity appropriately twinned with this mode of existence; Hong Kyung-po making scintillating use of the space around him to entrap the viewer with both captor and captive, forcing a brutally intimate front-row seat to the interrogations. Interestingly, the offsetting to multiple renditions to the Judy Garland staple “Over the Rainbow” only adds to the film's multi-faceted nature; meanwhile, Park Gok-ji's gung-ho editing keeps up with Joon-hwan's explosive pace as opposed to setting it, thus only adding to the director's masterful strokes of genius.
Putting it bluntly, “Save the Green Planet” remains as bonkers today as it once did over twenty years ago with few films rivalling its balls-to-the-wall insanity. Bending genres and expectations with effortless ease, Joon-hwan executes a cinematic rarity: a wholly unique entity – one whose origins are best left undisclosed – that defies convention and classification. Wrestling as much with those fringe truths so often peddled on suspicious corners of the internet just as it is with its own moral compass, this is a film whose enjoyability and relevance have grown in sync with these increasingly turbulent times; anyone would be forgiven by asking “which reality is more insane, our or that of this film?”, an answer to none should be quick to dismiss.
