Aaron Ploof
Yorgos Lanthimos directs some weird kinds of films, even arguably stranger than David Lynch himself. I can’t say I am a fan of Lanthimos’ works, although I have seen a few of his movies (The Lobster, Killing of a Sacred Deer, and Poor Things). I have been impressed by these entries enough to make me want to watch his newest film, Bugonia.
Bugonia is a remake of a 2003 South Korean film, Save the Green Planet! Although some character’s genders have been swapped, the overall plot remains largely the same. Two individuals kidnap a high-profile pharmaceutical CEO under the impression that he/she is actually an alien. They shave the CEO’s head and subject him/her to torture, in an attempt to get him/her to reveal their true identity.
In Bugonia, that individual is Michelle Fuller (Emma Stone). Not a particularly kind woman, Michelle is nonetheless resourceful, intelligent, and excellent at her job. The film introduces her character while she’s being filmed for a diversity video for her company. She’s able to deliver her speech perfectly. While leaving, she tells her employees that they should feel okay to clock out early, but, you know, they should stay if they’re busy, of course.
One of those employees is Teddy Gatz (Jesse Plemons), a man who has some particularly nasty history with the company. He’s also a beekeeper, as well as a completely obsessed conspiracy theorist. He believes that aliens called Andromedans are currently inhabiting the earth and that Michelle is one of them. With the help of his autistic cousin, Don (Aidan Delbis), he kidnaps Michelle, chains her up in his basement, and accuses her of planning to destroy the earth and the entire bee species.
The Game
A game of sorts develops between Gatz and Fuller. Fuller is, of course, initially confused on why these men have kidnapped her, shaved her head and covered her with creme. At first, she refuses to play into their game, stating firmly that she is not an alien and that there is no way that these two will be able to escape justice as long as they hold her captive.
Michelle is at times despondent, but she does a good job of hiding her sadness from her captors, or so she thinks. Unknown to her, they watch her from a well-hidden camera. Don grows more uncomfortable with the proceedings as every minute passes, while Teddy ropes him in with manipulation and promises.
As the film proceeds, Michelle attempts to gain the upper hand by persuading Don to join her side. She also finally relents to the extreme pressure and openly admits she is an alien. She bides her time before she’ll eventually gain the chance to turn the tables on Teddy.
A Mixture of Tones
All of this sounds horrifying, and it is, to a certain degree. Yet the sheer absurdity of it all also manages to instill a comedic tone in the proceedings. Anyone familiar with the dozens of conspiracy theories out there, as well as the people who propagate them will get a laugh as well as a shock at how accurate the portrayals of these things are in the film. Lanthimos pokes fun at the flat earth conspiracies with countdown title cards ticking down the days until the lunar eclipse, the supposed lunar eclipse that heralds the Andromedan’s arrival.
Teddy’s manipulation of Don also brings a certain sadness to the events, as it’s clear that Don is uncomfortable with the duo’s actions. Watching Teddy pull Don down this dark road, you can’t help but wonder whether Don will be finally able to pull himself away from Teddy’s influence.
An interesting fact about the film is that both Don and his actor (Delbis) are neurodivergent and both fall on the autism spectrum. Lanthimos hired him after the young actor, 19, sent in an audition tape for the role. Lanthimos describes Don as the soul of the project. As an autistic person myself, I applaud Lanthimos’ casting.
Save the Planet!
As the film nears its conclusion, audiences learn more about both Michelle and Teddy’s backstory, and it becomes easy to both sympathize with and criticize both parties. You may find yourself wondering if Teddy is indeed correct, and Michelle is an alien. Then you’ll say, “No, that surely can’t be right.” Whichever conclusion you come to by the end of the film, the climax and the falling action will no doubt shock, as Lanthimos is wont to do.
The conclusion of the film reveals the film’s main theme and Lanthimos’ central thesis, which is fairly cynical and doesn’t provide much hope for mankind. The film urges us to be more friendly to Mother Earth, but if one were to ask Lanthimos if humans even have the ability to treat our planet more tenderly, I doubt he’d reply in the positive.
The film is blatantly clear with this message, so much so that it leaves little for audiences to ponder. The movie itself is not complex theme wise, but rewatching from the beginning may reveal more about its character’s true motivations and natures.
One flaw in particular concerns a subplot that implies sexual molestation. I failed to see the thematic reason this was included, as it didn’t seem to add much to the film.
Another Strange One
Overall, Bugonia is a captivating, thrilling film that also doubles as a sci-fi and a black comedy. It pulls all of these genres off well and never fails to enthrall the viewer. Although it does falter a bit in the message and theme department, the movie has excellent acting and writing. The main trio’s cat and mouse games are impossible not to be pulled into. It should provide fans of Lanthimos with another strange outing to keep them engaged.
Score: 8.5
Bugonia is now playing in theatres nationwide.
