Emma Stone and Yorgos Lanthimos always provide audiences with attention-grabbing films to enjoy – but Bugonia might be their boldest, oddest collaboration yet.
I found myself laughing in shock at moments as Stone’s pharmaceutical CEO tried to break free from her kidnapper, conspiracy theorist and beekeeper Teddy (Jesse Plemons), who believes she’s an alien sent to destroy Earth.
Bugonia doesn’t provide the same visual, lush delights of Poor Things and its fantasy gothic world, immersing you in a quirky atmosphere from the off – it’s instead set in a mundane alternative present day.
But that actually makes the wild swings of the third act even sweeter and more impactful. Just when you thought Lanthimos couldn’t get any weirder or darker, he’s here to assure you that he absolutely can.
And Stone, who won an Oscar for her portrayal of the naïve if wild Bella Baxter in Poor Things, plays magnificently against type as hard-nosed careerist Michelle, who you struggle to have much sympathy for, despite what she’s being put through.
When she’s forced to try and negotiate with her kidnappers, the insincere corporate speak smoothly pours out of her – ‘can we have a dialogue?’, ‘I respectfully disagree’ – in a way that will make you roll your eyes.
Not least of all because she’s recently reminded her PA to email around the company regarding the new policy of leaving work at 5:30pm… while hinting heavily that it’s ‘not compulsory’.
In contrast, Jesse Plemons’ nuanced turn as wounded outsider Teddy makes it hard not to root for him slightly – or at least feel sympathy – even as the potential criminal charges rack up against him.
He’s had a hard life: an addict mother (Alicia Silverstone) in a coma after a poor outcome in a trial provided by Michelle’s company, a vulnerable cousin he looks out for and has recruited into his conspiracy-led way of life (Aidan Delbis, making an assured debut), and a local sheriff wanting to apologise for unspecified past deeds.
It’s not a surprise, therefore, that he should speak about the need to ‘clear the psychic cache’ and use the term ‘alpha king’ as the highest praise.
Nor should his bizarre tips for spotting that Michelle is an alien come as a shock either – it’s all in the narrow feet, thin cuticles and high hair density apparently.
To go too much into what happens next is to spoil some of the twisted fun of Bugonia, so just rest assured that Lanthimos pulls zero punches, as always, in his ongoing filmmaking quest to say ‘yes, and?’ to choices other directors would shy away from tackling.
That Bugonia is based on 2003 South Korean film Save the Green Planet! will provide a good idea of what things build to, but screenwriter Will Tracy and Lanthimos have confidently made it their own movie, not afraid to diverge where necessary.
Jerskin Fendrix’s hugely dramatic orchestral score – deployed expertly with flourishes at the most unexpected moments – is another example of this, composed entirely from just four key words provided by Lanthimos and no film reference. It’s as absurd and inspired as the rest of the film.
In the final act, Bugonia abruptly turns so violent and bloody – Stone’s Michelle is practically hosed in it at one point – that you’ll be stunned into a physical reaction, be it a laugh or gasp. And that’s not because it’s been played in an over-the-top way, it’s simply a shock to the system.
So enjoy Bugonia as reassurance that there’s still plenty more juice to be squeezed from Stone and Lanthimos’s partnership on deliciously off-the-wall movies.
Bugonia premiered at the Venice Film Festival tonight. It releases in UK cinemas on November 7, 2025.
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