The Writer Discusses the Many Wild Twists of Emma Stone's Latest Science Fiction Film

Bugonia screenwriter the writer has a hazy memory of what transpires in the original Korean movie. It's a little surprising, since he wrote the screenplay for Yorgos Lanthimos’s new adaptation of the 2003 Korean dark sci-fi comedy. Rather than studying the original script for inspiration, the writer behind The Menu viewed the film once, jotted down some thoughts, and began writing.

“I watched Save the Green Planet once,” Tracy explains. “I couldn't clearly recall the film in great detail. I didn't want to feel like I had to be slavishly following or remaking or paying tribute to someone else's vision. The most respectful approach to those movies was to have them each stand on their own.”

While the basic plot of a mentally unstable man (the actor in the new version) who kidnaps a pharmaceutical executive he’s certain is an alien in disguise is mostly the same in both films, the differences are significant. For one thing, the writer re-envisioned the lead role, played by a man in the director's first version, as a woman. (Lanthimos chose his frequent collaborator the actress in the role.) The endings vary a bit too, in the way they address their shared core mystery: Is this person an alien in disguise or not really?

Tracy feels that resolution is a bit irrelevant.

“I wasn't really focused on the twist aspect,” he comments. “My intention wasn't for the movie to just be a toy that does a single trick, and then after the reveal, it's like: OK, well, what else does this toy do?”

Nevertheless, Tracy has plenty to say on the subject. Our discussion with the writer touched on the film’s ending and its implications, along with the methods he and Lanthimos collaborated to bring those twists to life.

Warning: Full spoilers follow for the conclusion of Bugonia.

So is the character an alien or not an alien?

In brief: Absolutely.

Similar to in Save the Green Planet, the conclusion of Bugonia reveals that the CEO, a big pharma CEO named her character, is actually a royal extraterrestrial in hiding. Once she manipulates her kidnapper Teddy (Plemons) into ending his own life using her advanced device, Fuller beams back up to her Andromedon spaceship.

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

“Emma talked a lot about how it was the initial instance she had to give a performance where she felt she had to be conscious of people watching the movie a second time. What the repeat viewers are going to think,” Tracy says. "She knew the upon a repeat viewing someone sees this film, They know that I know that I'm… you know?”

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

Creating the aliens and their vessel

After the CEO finally does reveal her true nature, we get a brief glimpse of her ship and fellow aliens before Bugonia ends. Their ship has a unique design, which Tracy shares was meant to look like a marine animal while avoiding high-tech visuals.

“[Yorgos] was really fascinated by almost like a jellyfish-inspired shape for the vessel, something quite organic,” he says.

The goal was for them to seem strangely kind of tribal or ancient.

The Andromedons’ attire is equally fascinating as their ship: bulbous dress-like garments made from large, ropey threads. Once more, the goal was to defy conventional science fiction.

“For the costumes, rather than being advanced, they [were meant to|aimed to] appear strangely somewhat primitive or primitive, and yet also quite ornate and not primitive, because it's a very detailed and beautiful design on those unusual woven outfits,” the writer says. He notes that the director “thought of it as being a extremely old society. He disliked the notion of anything being smooth and metallic, or some ultra-modern cosmic vision.”

The conclusion of the Earth (or just humanity)

Perhaps the biggest difference between Bugonia and Save the Green Planet is that in the first version, the aliens respond to their ruler's abduction and mistreatment by destroying planet Earth. Bugonia takes a slightly subtler method, with its aliens opting to snuff out all human life, while leaving the planet and its other inhabitants intact.

“What I wanted to do in the screenplay was a vision of Earth post-human existence,” the writer says.

In the film's conclusion, we see a series of shots of existence across the globe. Every person are deceased where they were standing just before, but the Earth continues. How viewers, are meant to make of all this is up for debate. Is the ending of Bugonia hopeful or pessimistic? Is humanity fated to perish or deserving of rescue? Is the planet be improved in our absence?

Tracy isn’t willing to provide a clear resolution either way.

“Certain viewers see it as a extremely dark conclusion, or a tragic finale, a hopeless ending,” he says. “Different audiences view it as being a strangely optimistic or positive conclusion. In my opinion there are various interpretations to understand it.”

Bugonia is currently in select cinemas at present, with a broader opening on Oct. 31.