“Bugonia” explores the digital era of conspiracies, where multiple iterations of truths become increasingly accessible and believable. Two individuals, Teddy (Jesse Plemons) and his cousin Donny (Aidan Delbis), dare to unearth the theory that aliens may have been inhabiting our planet after all.
Their plan: kidnap a fellow human whom they think is an alien in disguise. The cousins went on a spree of preparation, trying to figure out the mechanics to make their operation as hidden as possible. They later hunt down their victim, business mogul Michelle Fuller (Emma Stone), who they assumed to have shown signs of otherworldly behavior.
“Bugonia” is based on South Korean director Jang Joon-hwan’s 2003 film “Save the Green Planet!” At one point, Jang was attached to helm the Hollywood remake of his work, until Lanthimos stepped in with frequent collaborators Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons. Lanthimos presented a fitting irreverence for this remake, incorporating a grounded take to question the dreamlike concepts of alien life and terrorization. This film is a great entryway to viewers wanting to explore the director’s work, since while his absurdist style is present, it isn’t as strongly realized compared to his previous works.
“Bugonia” is also more restrained than its source material, saving the big swings of the story until its last shocking minutes. In my screening, everyone was silent during the entire end credits as if there was a collective feeling of dread during that final scene. The film took a while to get to its resolutions, but it’s complemented well with impressive acting feats from Plemons, Stone, and Delbis.
“Bugonia” is cunningly delightful as an exploration of humanity’s worst tendencies, which is also quite unapologetically nihilistic. Interesting how this film will be received by the general audience when it goes wide in cinemas.
“Bugonia” is showing in New Zealand cinemas 30 October 2025.
Featured images from Universal Pictures.
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