Save the Green Planet!

Few directors dare to play. 'Save the Green Planet' is the kind of cinema I enjoy: the kind that has the guts to unsettle the viewer, to play with creativity, and that is fully aware of the cinematic language it employs. It is an experiment (quite literally) that works. It’s not my favorite within this type of cinema, but it does manage to entertain me, if only partially. It’s in the second half where everything settles into place and the film’s ideas become clearer. The cinematography is one of its strongest assets. With this film, I once again reaffirm that visual expression is one of the aspects I value most in cinema. The heavy use of blue tones can become tiring to the eye, yet it still manages to achieve a hypnotic effect. The performances are solid, although I probably won’t remember these actors’ names unless I come across them again in another film. They are functional and efficient, believable enough to sustain a story without cracks. A story that can be confusing at times. The narrative demands patience and attention. Everything is eventually explained, but it may still leave the viewer with questions—either because the film doesn’t spell everything out, or because the viewer simply didn’t fully grasp it. I enjoy that feeling of leaving a film with questions and wanting answers, forming my own theories. The story is told through editing and montage that draw attention to themselves. There are bold decisions, and I admit that on more than one occasion I nearly nodded off. Not because the film is boring—it isn’t—but because it never quite manages to keep my nerves on edge, as it potentially could have. From its poster, I could anticipate the kind of experience I was about to have, but not the way it would unfold. It doesn’t truly surprise me either, because yes, it is predictable. Still, it works, and it earns a passing grade. It is imperfect, uneven, and clearly defined in its identity. It won’t win everyone over, but it knows what it wants to do and how to do it. It deserves at least one viewing, even if it doesn’t end up changing anyone’s life.

On dit que les Japonais sont parfois bizarres mais ce n'est rien, rien du tout en comparaison des Coréens. Regardez les films qu'ils font... regardez "Save the Green Planet" pour voir ! Un "torture porn" des plus glauques avec ici et là tout le mauvais goût qui l'accompagne ainsi que pas mal de raccourcis côté scénario. Complètement à l'ouest, le film ne fait que s'enfoncer outrancièrement dans un mélange de grotesque et de guimauve putassière, seule la fin inattendue tente de relever le niveau pour aussitôt retomber dans un déluge de mauvais goût (encore). Il faut reconnaître que les acteurs donnent le meilleur d'eux-mêmes dans cette pantalonnade ravagée de la tête et un tel dévouement dans la caricature force le respect. On ne sait pas trop sur quel pied danser avec un tel film qui ne se révèle ni un bon thriller ni une vraie satire... à moins d'avoir un sens de l'humour très particulier. La réalisation à peine correcte une partie du temps se laisse très souvent aller au grand n'importe quoi pour le reste : secouage de caméra épileptogène de Parkinson à faire mourir de honte Paul Greengrass (ça doit être un extra-terrestre coréen lui aussi).