Humanity finds itself in a lamentable state, a condition that Yorgos Lanthimos’s intensely dark comedy, Bugonia—making its debut at the Venice Film Festival—eagerly highlights. Is it not apparent? Many people now shun traditional news sources, instead embracing ever-more bizarre conspiracy theories to validate their existing perspectives. We blindly concede to corporate authority figures even as they exploit us. Individuals once considered rational are increasingly succumbing to irrationality. Furthermore, the film points out the alarming decline of bees, crucial pollinators for one-third of global food production. These circumstances certainly provide ample reason for despair regarding the human condition, yet Lanthimos chooses to articulate his frustration in a distinctly ostentatious and self-congratulatory manner. To borrow from a classic Peanuts strip, Lanthimos possesses a fondness for humankind, but struggles with people themselves.
Bugonia commences with a narrative and its two central figures: Jesse Plemons portrays Teddy, a melancholic individual enduring a soul-crushing, mundane occupation, who nurtures a passion for bees, which he keeps in the garden of his slightly dilapidated dwelling. He perceives himself as someone privy to profound truths—having diligently *researched* everything online—and endeavors to educate his impressionable, potentially intellectually challenged cousin, Donny (Aidan Delbis), on his findings.
Teddy is consumed by anguish; he witnessed his ailing mother (briefly played by Radhika Apte) endure a supposed medical intervention that ultimately left her comatose, and her suffering has unhinged him. Nevertheless, he has devised a strategy to rectify matters. Together, Teddy informs Donny, they will rescue the world. He puts Donny through a rigorous physical regimen to build strength and subjects him to a form of chemical emasculation, asserting that neither of them must be diverted from their quest by conventional sexual desires. Donny, who harbors hopes of one day “being with someone,” is disheartened by this, but proceeds with the plan nonetheless.
Teddy’s scheme involves abducting Emma Stone’s Michelle Fuller, the callous CEO of a massive technology corporation that transparently prioritizes profit over people. His motive, however, transcends mere personal retribution. Teddy is convinced that Michelle is an extraterrestrial entity from Andromeda, dispatched to Earth with destructive intentions. Once he and Donny have secured her in their basement—after first shaving her head to prevent the Andromedans from employing advanced technology to track her via DNA—Teddy plans to compel her to summon her mothership, allowing him access to negotiate Earth’s liberation with her alien masters.
This description might suggest Bugonia offers a degree of dark entertainment—and indeed, the film features some exaggerated, visceral gore involving exploding bodies—yet Lanthimos deliberately amplifies the story’s raw, brutal aspects. Bugonia is a modern interpretation of Jang Joon-hwan’s 2003 science-fiction comedy *Save the Green Planet.* (Its script was penned by Will Tracy, known for his work on series like *Succession* and *Last Week Tonight with John Oliver,* and for the 2022 culinary satire *The Menu.)* Lanthimos frequently collaborates with actors he clearly values, and for good reason: Plemons and Stone were both featured in his previous film, 2024’s laborious and bleak triptych *Kinds of Kindness. They are undeniably skilled performers who demonstrate a clear understanding of their craft.
However, in Bugonia, Lanthimos unleashes his cold, impassive sadism. It is presumably intended to be morbidly amusing to observe Teddy administering 400 volts of electricity through the restrained and gagged Michelle, all while Green Day’s “Basket Case” blares at maximum volume to drown out her cries. Lanthimos and expert cinematographer Robbie Ryan film the scene subtly, allowing sound to convey more than visuals. Yet, should audiences truly desire to witness any character portrayed by Stone—or any actor, for that matter—subjected to such brutality? Lanthimos, it seems, cannot resist.
Some will argue that Lanthimos’s films either resonate with you or they don’t, subtly implying that if you recoil from his work, you lack the necessary sophistication. This argument should be dismissed. Lanthimos’s cinematic creations seldom possess the profoundness or significance he appears to ascribe to them. Nevertheless, he remains a filmmaker one cannot entirely dismiss. Occasionally, he delivers a pleasant surprise, such as *The Lobster,* which tenderly explores the somber realities of human loneliness with the wandering grace of a hermit crab seeking refuge, or the fantastical and peculiar *Poor Things,* a magnificent showcase for Emma Stone’s intellect and physical ingenuity.
Stone is an audacious, inventive actor. She is capable of anything, but that does not mean she should undertake every role. Her performance in Bugonia is outstanding; she is cuttingly humorous in her portrayal of a ruthless executive, impatiently rushing through the recording of a diversity-training video, and compellingly convincing, with her closely shaven head, as a cunning Joan of Arc determined to outmaneuver her captors. Her true moment of brilliance arrives in the film’s unexpected conclusion, which, largely due to her portrayal, evokes a sense of tenderness and melancholy. Yet, Lanthimos grants us the grace of this ending only after subjecting us to considerable strain, perhaps even a degree of tedium, along the way. The world is far from idyllic, and Lanthimos is sounding the alarm. One merely wishes he would convey a truth we haven’t already grasped.