Bugonia

Yorgos Lanthimos' latest is a deconstruction of conspiracy theorists

Yorgos Lanthimos has developed an idiosyncratic style, in the same way that Wes Anderson or Kelly Reichardt has. You can identify a Lanthimos film without knowing it’s his, thanks to his use of absurdism, cynicism of humanity, and dark humor. He’s found a particular muse in Emma Stone, who has now starred in his last five projects, most notably earning her second Oscar for Poor Things (2023). The two have partnered yet again in Lanthimos’ latest: Bugonia (2025).

Bugonia is the story of biochemical CEO Michelle (Emma Stone) who is kidnapped by the conspiracy theorist Teddy (Jesse Plemons) and his naif and aloof cousin Don (Aidan Delbis). Teddy is convinced that Michelle and other society elites are an alien race hell-bent on destroying humanity and thus intends to extract a confession from Michelle.

Bugonia is a remake of the Korean film Save the Green Planet! (2003) and follows the original’s plot closely. Yet, as with any Lanthimos film, the visual flair and style of the Greek director can’t be contained, and he brings about a less melodramatic if equally quirky approach to the premise. Save the Green Planet! was surprisingly prescient in the toxicity of conspiracy theories and the violence that they would go on to inspire within the social media world. Bugonia as a result feels incredibly prescient, even mirroring the plot to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer in 2020, which was cooked up by disaffected men, constantly online, believing they were patriots.

Yet it would be easy for the intellectual and Hollywood elite to look down and simply scold the dangers of conspiracy theorists, but Lanthimos does well to use his artform to explore these characters. He brings an empathy, alongside Will Tracy who adapted the screenplay, that allows us to see Teddy as a frustrated man within his decaying community. Teddy seeks a greater meaning and purpose for his life, and finds solace in believing he’s a freedom fighter against an alien invasion. It’s so much bleaker to simply believe that rural towns are dying off as manufacturing work moves abroad. Tracy and Lanthimos use Teddy and his desperate fantasy as a tragic frame of young men losing their sense of purpose.

The added complexity to the comfort of conspiracies is the way that gullible people are strung along to follow these beliefs. This is exemplified in Don, who is almost childlike in his innocence and admiration of his cousin, seeking his approbation and following him down the rabbit hole of the violent kidnapping. It showcases the layers of these naive people who become lost to the internet algorithm and follow along more in search of company and friendship.

Bugonia is a deconstruction of the extremist ideological shifts occurring within society; the kidnapped Michelle and Teddy cannot communicate with one another because they are living in completely separate plains of reality. It is a story of wits and gamesmanship, where Michelle is forced to think of ways to talk through the tangled logic of Teddy’s world. It’s a brilliant back and forth that keeps you in tension as to whether Michelle pushes to hard and risks a snap of violence.

One of Lanthimos’ greatest virtues is also one of his biggest weaknesses: his penchant of pushing things to the limit. This approach can deliver the extraordinary and enlightening such as with The Favourite (2018) or Poor Things. But other times, you sense his love of style and shock overcome his loyalty to narrative and theme, repulsing viewers or inducing eyerolls such as with Dogtooth (2009) or Kinds of Kindness (2024). Bugonia straddles this fine line and nears the upper echelon of Lanthimos’ risk-taking rewards, yet the finale – which to be fair follows the Korean original – simply goes too far in wanting to deliver a joke and troll viewers. It undoes the careful and balanced work that Lanthimos and Tracy had achieved in the rest of the film, instead jamming a twist for the sake of jolting viewers. It’s something that felt inevitable with the provocative Greek, yet also a missed opportunity of restraint; cutting the last 10 minutes of Bugonia would have delivered a more solid and affecting film.

Stone and Lanthimos’ collaborations have brought some of their best work. Stone has grown immensely as a performer, taking advantage of the breadth of freedom and challenges Lanthimos’ style permits her, delivering the apotheotic performance of her career with Poor Things. In Bugonia, Stone delivers a more contained yet still fierce performance. She has to play both audience surrogate and show quick thinking and panic under an exterior of calm. The new collaborator that Lanthimos seems to be falling in love with is, however, is Plemons, who he first worked with in Kinds of Kindness. Plemons is an astounding actor who gives 110% in any film he’s in, whether it’s a cameo, supporting role, or a lead in a goofy movie. His is an intensity and commitment that frequently make him the standout in any project he’s in. He’s no different in Bugonia, showing Teddy’s insecurity, wrath, and blind belief bursting forth at the same time. At times we see him become a child (literally in some flashbacks), as his doubts make him become small, and then within a second, he snaps into a violent cult leader that makes you tremble.

In the end, Bugonia is a complex deconstruction, alongside two spectacular performance, which delves into the conspiracy-laden world of today. Yet as with many of Lanthimos’ works, he pushes the narrative too far with a finale that goofs and dilutes much of the hard work done previously. It takes away a lot of the emotional impact, yet also comforts viewers into showing that the Greek director’s boldness and risk-taking will never be reined in.

7.6/10