Buckle up, because Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone are back, and they're bringing the weird! Their latest collaboration, "Bugonia," is a darkly comedic descent into the absurd, based on the 2003 South Korean film "Save the Green Planet!", but with a decidedly 2025 twist. This film delves into the rabbit hole of online conspiracy theories, with one character's descent into various toxic ideologies, starting with the alt-right. But here's where it gets controversial...
"Bugonia" seems to resonate with two other 2025 films that capture the zeitgeist: Ari Aster's underrated "Eddington" and Paul Thomas Anderson's masterful "One Battle After Another." However, while "Eddington" leans into farce and Anderson's film blends politics with thrills, Lanthimos' film embraces a certain hopelessness that's designed to make you squirm.
Now, I'll be honest, I haven't always been the biggest Lanthimos fan. His films can be, well, cruel. But "Bugonia" balances that cruelty with a dose of silliness. However, some moments are so nasty that they leave a bad taste. And the script by Will Tracy feels a bit scattered, as if it's unsure of its message.
But don't let that deter you! "Bugonia" is buoyed by strong performances and unexpected twists. The final moments (which I won't spoil) are delightfully morbid.
Stone plays Michelle Fuller, a high-powered SEO executive for a pharmaceutical company. She lives in a world of sterile environments, but her life is upended when she's kidnapped by Teddy (Jesse Plemons) and his cousin Don (Aidan Delbis). Teddy believes Michelle is an alien from the planet Andromeda, part of a race secretly enslaving humanity.
This abduction is played for queasy laughs, as Teddy's logic is inherently ludicrous. He wants to use Michelle to negotiate with the aliens, while she insists she's not an extraterrestrial. The film then becomes an extended interrogation, with Teddy trying to break Michelle.
While the plot might seem thin, the cast elevates the material. Stone, in her best work with Lanthimos, masterfully portrays a flawed individual. Plemons steals the show as Teddy, a damaged man haunted by his past. Delbis, an autistic actor playing an autistic character, provides a moral center to the chaos.
With a deliberately chaotic score by Jerskin Fendrik, "Bugonia" often feels cheeky, as if Lanthimos is laughing at us. Ultimately, "Bugonia" is a memorable film, but perhaps a lesser work from Lanthimos and Stone. It's twisted enough to stick with you, and the ending is particularly delightful (in a bleak way).
What do you think? Does the film's cruelty go too far? Is the message, if there is one, effective? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
