Buckle In for ‘Bugonia,’ The Year’s Wildest Ride

It’s bad enough being stuck in a conversation with a conspiracy theorist. What if one kidnapped you and forced you to agree with his worldview?

That’s where “Bugonia” starts, a rollicking affair that swings for as many fences as a two-hour film allows.

It helps to have two A-listers carrying the lumber. Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons make it look easy, while director Yorgos Lanthimos indulges in his wackiest impulses. That’s no small statement from the “Poor Things” auteur.

The results are head-smackingly silly, occasionally cruel and often electric. Just don’t think too hard about the film’s underlying message. It’s as predictable as Hollywood greenlighting a superhero sequel.

Wide-eyed Teddy (Plemons) is convinced a major pharmaceutical CEO is an alien hiding in plain sight. So he and his mentally-challenged cousin Donny (Aidan Delbis) kidnap her to force her to reveal her true nature.

That’s Stone as Michelle Fuller, who spends her days kickboxing and spitting out corporate cliches to underlings. The dopey duo barely manages to subdue Michelle, but when they do they shave her head and force her to confess. 

Or something.

Their plans aren’t exactly clear, nor is Michelle’s connection to Teddy’s ailing mother (Alicia Silverstone). It’s murky enough to avoid any overt attacks on Big Pharma, but the subplot suggests Teddy’s emotional bruises (at least) are all too real.

And the chances that Michelle’s reign resulted in something tragic are shockingly high.

We assume Michelle can quickly outsmart her captors, but Teddy may be more cunning than he appears. And is Michelle too eager to play into his wildest delusions?

Lanthimos deftly blends B-movie antics, social commentary and black comedy. It’s a kidnapping thriller with a twist, and the director’s oddball instincts enhance the material. The laugh-out-loud moments often precede white-knuckle chills, keeping audiences perpetually off balance.

Stone and Plemons are sensational, giving gravitas to a bizarre tale that didn’t require Oscar-worthy performances. It gets them all the same.

Stone’s CEO diva is a complicated soul with a survival instinct that would rival a Navy SEAL’s. Plemons’ Teddy should be a mountain of conspiratorial cliches, but he invests him with an emotional ache that can quickly turn violent.

Teddy’s bond with poor Donny is surprisingly sweet while being overtly domineering. Still, the interrogation scenes with Michelle quickly grow stale and circular.

Good thing “Bugonia” always has a new narrative card in hand.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Lanthimos often wears his progressive thoughts on his sleeve, and that’s certainly true with “Bugonia.” The film suggests humanity deserves little sympathy, from its hunger for conspiracies to a willingness to ignore our expert class.

Imagine that.

The film’s daffy third act doubles down on the lectures, but in a sideways fashion that softens the blow. Or, the story goes so absurdly off the rails that any finger-wagging gets lost in the melee.

“Bugonia” earns plenty of grace for originality and chutzpah. Both matter in 2025, and the film’s fresh nature is often its core selling point. Does any of it make sense? Is it supposed to? Those questions and more nag at us following that frantic finale.

Just know the ride up until that point has been a blast.

HiT or Miss: “Bugonia” is silly and subversive with a moral that’s as crude as a LEGO starter set