Bugonia's Screenwriter Discusses the Many Wild Turns of the New Science Fiction Film

The film screenwriter the writer doesn’t really remember what transpires in the original Korean movie. That’s a bit of a surprise, given that he wrote the screenplay for the director’s new adaptation of the 2003 Korean dark sci-fi comedy. Instead of studying the original script for inspiration, the writer behind The Menu viewed the movie once, took a few notes, and began writing.

“I’ve only seen the original once,” Tracy says. “I couldn't clearly recall the film all that well. I didn't want to feel as though I had to be faithfully adapting or remaking or paying tribute to someone else's vision. The fairest thing to both films was to have them exist independently.”

While the premise of a mentally unstable man (the actor in the new version) who kidnaps a pharmaceutical executive he’s certain is an extraterrestrial hiding on Earth is largely the same in each movie, the differences are notable. To start, the writer re-envisioned the executive character, originally male in Jang Joon-hwan’s original, as a female character. (Lanthimos chose his frequent collaborator the actress in the role.) The conclusions differ slightly too, in the way they address their shared core mystery: Is the character an alien in disguise or not really?

Tracy feels that resolution is somewhat beside the point.

“I never was really concerned with the surprise element,” he comments. “My intention wasn't for the movie to just be a toy that does a single trick, and then once it does that surprise, it's like: Alright, so what's next?”

Nevertheless, Tracy has a lot to discuss on the subject. The interview with the writer touched on the film’s finale and its implications, along with the ways he and the director collaborated to bring those twists to life.

Warning: Complete details follow for the conclusion of Bugonia.

So is Emma Stone an extraterrestrial or not?

Short answer: Yes.

Similar to in Save the Green Planet, the end of this version discloses that Stone’s character, a pharmaceutical executive named Michelle Fuller, is in fact a royal extraterrestrial in disguise. After tricking her kidnapper Teddy (the actor) into ending his own life using her advanced device, Fuller transports to her Andromedon spaceship.

The fact that this comes as a surprise is a testament to Stone’s acting skills. Throughout the 118-minute film, she maintains suspense through a layered portrayal that may take several rewatches to fully understand.

“Emma talked a lot about how it was the first time she had to act where she felt she had to be conscious of people watching the movie a second time. How those rewatching are going to perceive,” Tracy says. "She knew the upon a repeat viewing someone sees this film, They know that I know that I'm… you know?”

He trails off, before adding, “So she had to be aware this awareness in her performance.”

Creating the aliens and their spaceship

After the CEO ultimately shows her true nature, we get a quick look of her ship and fellow aliens before Bugonia ends. Their ship has a distinct appearance, which Tracy shares was meant to look like a sea creature while avoiding high-tech visuals.

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

They should feel strangely kind of primitive or primitive.

The Andromedons’ clothing is equally fascinating as their vessel: bulbous robes made from large, ropey threads. Once more, the aim was to defy sci-fi movie tradition.

“For the costumes, rather than being futuristic, they [were meant to|aimed to] appear strangely kind of primitive or basic, and yet also highly decorative and sophisticated, because it's a very detailed and beautiful design on those unusual woven outfits,” the writer says. He adds that Lanthimos “viewed it as being a extremely old society. He wasn't into the idea of any element being sleek and silver, or some ultra-modern cosmic vision.”

The end of the Earth (or just humanity)

Maybe the most significant change between Bugonia and the original is that in the first version, the extraterrestrials respond to their leader's kidnapping and mistreatment by blowing up planet Earth. This adaptation takes a slightly subtler method, with its beings opting to eliminate all mankind, while leaving the planet and its remaining creatures unharmed.

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

In the film's conclusion, we see a series of shots of existence across the planet. Every person lie dead where they were standing just before, but the world keeps spinning. How viewers, are supposed to interpret all this is open to discussion. Is the ending of the film optimistic or pessimistic? Is humanity fated to perish or deserving of rescue? Would the world be improved without us?

The screenwriter does not wish to provide a clear resolution in any direction.

“Some people find it to be a very bleak ending, or a sad ending, a despairing outcome,” he says. “Other people see it as being a strangely optimistic or happy ending. I think there's different ways to understand it.”

Bugonia is currently in limited theatrical release at present, with a broader opening on Oct. 31.