Does “Bugonia” Live up to Yorgos Lanthimos’ Other Films?

Yorgos Lanthimos has directed three feature films in the last three years.  First was 2023’s “Poor Things,” followed by “Kinds of Kindness” and now “Bugonia.”  All three star Emma Stone, with Jesse Plemons co-starring in the last two.  Based on this cast and how delightfully unique each of his films is, I was extremely optimistic about “Bugonia.”  I went in knowing only that he did not share writing credit and that the screenplay by Will Tracy is based on a 2003 Korean dark comedy called “Save the Green Planet!” by Jang Joon-hwan.  Unfortunately, as the movie progressed, my optimism and enjoyment dimmed by the minute.

As the movie opens, we’re introduced to conspiracy theorist “Teddy” (Jesse Plemons), explaining to his autistic cousin, “Don” (Aidan Delbis), that the Earth is under the control of malevolent Andromedan aliens. These aliens look like humans to the untrained eye and have infiltrated some of the high positions of power, especially in corporate America.  Teddy blames these aliens not only for the decline in the worldwide bee population but also for the loss of his mother.  When he was younger, Teddy’s mother took part in a medical trial for a major pharmaceutical company that had severe negative side effects.  The CEO of that company, “Michelle Fuller” (Emma Stone) was so condescending and cold in her “apology” for what happened that Teddy is convinced she is an alien. After copious research and mental and physical training, the cousins successfully kidnap Michelle and begin their interrogation. According to Teddy, they only have a few days to convince Michelle to grant him an audience with the Andromedan emperor, who will be arriving during the next lunar eclipse.

Most of Yorgos’ films feature dark and unconventional humor sprinkled throughout.  It often comes from the absurdity of situations the characters find themselves in.  The same is true of “Bugonia,” but it begins to wear thin after the first act.  After the setup and kidnapping, this film is essentially another exercise in “Two Characters Having a Conversation in a Room.”  Don is nearly silent for the rest of the movie.  It’s just Teddy and Michelle, verbally dueling in a room.  But there is very little new information gained during these extended sequences.  Teddy accuses her of being an alien, Michelle denies it, Teddy provides a “fact,” then Michelle has another “fact” that counteracts it.  This is punctuated by either physical comedy or something shocking.  Rinse and repeat until the third act, when the tone shifts dramatically.

To be fair, the performances in this movie are exceptional.  Both Plemons and Stone bring their A-game and duel for command of any scene they are in.  Delbis is also absolutely delightful in his feature debut.  Lanthimos’ direction is a mixed bag.  He still shows us the world through a unique lens, which is always enjoyable, but his tonal shifts and lack of a cohesive message dampen the fun.  The biggest issue seems to be the screenplay, which completely lacks nuance.  The audience I was in seemed shocked at certain events in the third act, but so much of it is telegraphed on screen, it makes me wonder if we were watching the same movie.

After screening this, I tracked down a copy of “Save the Green Planet!”  Despite a much lower budget and some really bad CGI, that movie has a much stronger emotional core.  We actually care about some of the characters.  Their motivations seem more pure.  Each of the main characters shows signs of empathy, something “Bugonia” is completely devoid of.

“Bugonia” is trying to be a satire on the conflict between conspiracy theorists and how big companies are literally killing us all for a profit.  But at the end of the film, that message is muddled. It has the same “viewing experience” as two other 2025 movies, “Eddington” and “HIM.”   Like “HIM,” it has a strong first act and lots of interesting visuals, but it completely jumps the shark in a gory climax.  And like “Eddington,” it takes a lot of crazy ideas, presents them as fact, throws them all at the wall, and wants the audience to decide what sticks.