Bugonia - A Movie Review

Humans can’t help the way they are.

Bugonia landed in theaters in 2025. Two conspiracy-obsessed young men kidnap Michelle, a high-powered CEO of a major company, and hold her captive in their basement. They are convinced that Michelle is an alien intent on destroying planet Earth.

When it’s award season, the movie-watching begins. I heard others say how surprising Bugonia was, and I went into it uninterested until I was totally invested in the story. Aside from mixed feelings on the ending, Bugonia is a story about survival.

Emma Stone has become an actress of her time. Her performance in Bugonia is a well-deserved Best Actress nomination. Stone has risen in her career, challenging herself in roles outside the range media originally intended her for. She boldly shaved her head for the role.

Stone plays Michelle Fuller, a businesswoman and a survivalist with sharp defense skills. First and foremost, she does not play the damsel in distress. Stone upgrades the role, having her character speak calmly to her captors. Michelle never talks down to them and offers alternatives. Her performance could help anyone who is ever in danger.

Jesse Plemons and Aidan Delbris play the kidnappers, Teddy and Don. Teddy and Don’s dynamic is an important part of the story. The cousins love each other, though Teddy is imperious of Don’s views.

Similar to Stone, Plemons has also been on a rise in his career. I am very surprised Plemons was not nominated for his performance. This was a great role to test Plemons. He takes a subtle approach in his acting and plays Teddy with quiet menace.

While Plemons has been rising in his acting career, Debris debuts in his first movie. Debris is neurodivergent, which attracted a more unique dynamic to the film. Debris interprets Don as reluctant to follow along with the plan. He also improvised in one scene.

Yorgos Lanthimos is known for directing unusual films with social commentary in their layers. He also shaved his head. Bugonia is a remake of the 2003 South Korean film Save the Green Planet. Lanthimos said he was drawn to the premise, and he wanted to explore themes of contemporary issues.

His direction to his actors is strong, creating effective dialogue scenes. The story focuses on human relationships in a basement where audiences feel like prisoners, too. Subtlety and ambiguity are Lanthimos’s trademark.

The music and cinematography are striking. Lanthimos concentrates on specific scenes and emotions. He filmed the haircut scene in an impressive one take. The music is too overdramatic and could have been reduced in some scenes. It overplayed the drama where silence would have been more effective.

Out of all the scenes in Bugonia, Lanthimos said that the most difficult part was working with the bees. The crew had to think of another idea when the bees they ‘hired’ wouldn’t pollinate. No matter how difficult shooting is, Lanthimos always thinks of alternatives.

Bugonia is a different type of abduction story. The kidnappers' motivations are questionable. It’s never outright said, but mental illness plays a factor. Ranks are tested throughout the story, as the characters try to get into one another’s heads. People can easily take advantage of one another.

Lanthimos keeps the story ambiguous, but similar to Poor Things, he goes overboard in the setup. I didn’t like the ending. It was too out there and should have concluded with more subtle hints.

Bugonia has dark themes, and the abduction storyline will likely trigger viewers. The performances are the best part of it. It’s a strange movie that holds your attention.