Bong Jooh-ho was already an established South Korean director known for his flair for action and suspense when he directed the English-language Snowpiercer. Using Le Transperceneige by Jacques Lob, Benjamin Legrand, and Jean-Marc Rochette as his source material, Bong took a simple concept—a fascist train society hurtling through a post-apocalyptic world—and brought it to life in vivid, shocking, and suspenseful ways. The movie became an allegory of sorts, with Curtis, the leader of the revolt, moving from the back to the front of the train, with that which is behind him representing where he comes from, his past, and the front representing his goals, and the promise of escape.
Bong, a perfectionist and meticulous director, uses color and set design in a specific way in order to deepen the meaning of the system Wilford has set up on the train. The people in the tail of the train are living in filth, grime, and darkness, and as Curtis and the revolutionaries move forward they enter much fancier and nicer locales, a shift that is signified in the design. The grime of the tail car is shot in low light and the color palette is dark browns and greens. As they move forward, the images brighten up and light and color begin to brighten the frame. This diversification of light and color palettes shows that life in the front cars is better and more beautiful, highlighting the inequity of the train.
Bong Joon-ho masterfully uses action rather than dialogue to tell the audience what is happening, and while the screenplay is often fresh and intelligent, a great deal of narrative is transmitted through image and action. For example, the last scene shows Yona and Timmy wandering out into the wilderness looking for hope that they can inhabit the earth again. The entire scene is silent, as the two of them wander out into the white snow, and the film ends with them running into a large polar bear. Without dialogue, this image communicates that there is life on earth, and the group has a chance of surviving.
