Yorgos Lanthimos (The Lobster, The Killing of the Scared Deer, The Favourite, Poor Things, Kinds of Kindness) directs Will Tracy’s screenplay loosely based on South Korean writer Jang Joon-hwan’s screenplay for Save the Green Planet! (2003). The story follows conspiracy theorist—Teddy (Jesse Plemons) and his cousin Don (Aidan Delbis)—who believe Michelle Fuller (Emma Stone), the CEO of a pharmaceutical company, is actually an alien from outer space who wants to destroy Earth. (118 min.)
BUGONIA
What’s it rated? R
What’s it worth, Anna? Full price
What’s it worth, Glen? Full price
Where’s it showing? Colony, Downtown Centre, Palm, Park, Stadium 10
Glen Our Misinformation Age is front and center in Bugonia, where paranoia, conspiracy, and fear of impending ecological disaster weigh heavy and constant on antihero Teddy. He’s an amateur beekeeper on his family’s ramshackle property where he lives with Don. It’s worth mentioning that 19-year-old Aidan Delbis, in his film debut, identifies as autistic, and his Don appears to be intellectually disabled. Teddy is Don’s whole world, and even though he’s unsure of Teddy’s extremist views, he goes along with the kidnapping plan because Teddy believes he can force Michelle to admit she’s an alien and arrange a meeting with her emperor on the mothership to negotiate a withdrawal from Earth. Yes, Teddy seems crazy, but his doomsday fears reflect our current zeitgeist. It’s a cultural black comedy that hits on many of our fears.
Anna Lanthimos is such an interesting filmmaker. I knew I’d be walking into an experience going to see Bugonia, and boy was I right. Conspiracy theories and the willingness to believe them feel closer to reality in our current world than I’ve ever experienced before, so seeing Teddy spiral into wildly strange places in his head feels a little too close to what I see happening as people continue to fracture and divide from each other. Plemmons is one of those actors who has great nuance in portraying characters who feel put upon or punished or hungry for justice. He can hide sinister behind a mask of unassuming normalcy. I’m doubly impressed with Delbis as Don, who plays the character in such a specifically vulnerable way—and in many ways I left this film feeling like he was the one true victim in all of this. This is one of those films I can only recommend if you feel OK sitting in discomfort. It makes you feel that, and the feeling stays with you long after the credits roll.
Glen As weird as this is, it isn’t even Lanthimos’ weirdest. He has a knack for creating unsettling and unreal worlds to explore contemporary real-world problems. The film marks Stone’s fourth feature with Lanthimos, and she’s willing to go where he leads her. Her clipped, raw performance is mesmerizing. Michelle seems quite awful. Much of the film follows the negotiation between her and Teddy, and it’s a battle of wills. Teddy blames her for his drug addicted, comatose mother, Sandy’s (Alicia Silverstone), condition. There are more layers, but rest assured, it’s wildly entertaining.
Anna Michelle as a character is brittle and breathes insincerity. She’s a shiny photo op, a string of words meant to soothe but prove to be manipulative. This is a roller-coaster whose ending is unseen and therefore surprising. Every once in a while, we come across a movie where it’s important to be coy with spilling secrets, and this is certainly one that feels like it should be walked into without spoilers. If unsettled sits well with you, Bugonia is sure to be a welcome treat. The performances are nothing short of award worthy. ∆
Arts Editor Glen Starkey and freelancer Anna Starkey write Split Screen. Comment at gstarkey@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Nov 6-16, 2025.