Bugonia - Yorgos Lanthimos' Latest Provides Conspiracies, Aliens, And To Its Detriment, An Identity Crisis
- Michael Ornelas
- 7 days ago
- 3 min read
Bugonia navigates a web of conspiracy theories, pharmaceutical tech power plays, and alien mythos, all highly relevant in today’s world. Ironically, the film itself feels a bit alienating. Yorgos Lanthimos delivers a story with two strong acts that bookend the film beautifully, capturing the intended comedic tone, but the middle act collapses under its own weight. Odd character choices and unclear motivations muddy the narrative, pushing the plot forward without adding meaningful depth.
The film centers on Teddy (Jesse Plemons) and his impressionable cousin Don (Aiden Delbis), who set out to kidnap pharmaceutical CEO Michelle (Emma Stone). Teddy, consumed by his own research, believes Michelle is an alien sent to corrupt humanity. His conviction is persuasive, at least to Don, whose loyalty stems more from familial affection than belief. The problem is that Don appears to be portrayed as neurodivergent or mentally limited, which makes his manipulation by Teddy uncomfortable to watch. His inclusion feels less like meaningful commentary and more like a narrative shortcut. It unintentionally reinforces a harmful trope that people with limited capacity are easily swayed, and his role as someone on the spectrum ultimately adds little to the larger story.
Another puzzling inclusion is Officer Casey (Stavros Halkias), who shares a murky past with Teddy as his former babysitter. Their dynamic hints at a history of abuse, but the film never fully explores it. When Casey resurfaces at a climactic point, his presence feels more like a convenient plot device than an organic payoff. The casting doesn’t help either, not due to performance, but the ages of the actors. Plemons is actually older than Halkias, making their supposed past dynamic even harder to buy.
That said, the performances are uniformly strong. Jesse Plemons brings a surprising vulnerability to a delusional character, crafting one of his most emotionally charged roles to date. His paranoia feels lived-in and, at moments, disturbingly rational. Emma Stone continues her streak of standout performances as Michelle, poised, sharp, and eerily composed. She manages to embody both grounded intelligence and an ethereal otherness that keeps the audience guessing. Despite the issues with how Don is written, Aiden Delbis fully commits to his role, bringing sincerity to an underwritten character. And Alicia Silverstone, in her brief appearance as Teddy’s ailing mother, reminds us just how magnetic she can be, making the most of her limited screen time.
From a technical standpoint, Bugonia is immaculate. The production design, costuming, and cinematography all immerse viewers in Yorgos’ peculiar world. The film looks incredible. However, the score, while grand and ambitious, often feels mismatched with the film’s tone, pulling focus rather than enhancing the experience.
Lanthimos and his cast have described Bugonia as a comedy, and the first and final acts certainly deliver on that promise. But the second act veers into self-serious territory, draining much of the absurdist energy that the film opens with. The tonal inconsistency becomes its biggest weakness, torn between biting satire and earnest sci-fi drama, it never fully commits to either.
Ultimately, Bugonia is a film of sharp ideas and stellar performances that don’t quite congeal into a cohesive whole. Yorgos remains a visionary filmmaker, few directors can blend discomfort and absurdity so effectively, but his latest effort lands just above middling. If the script had leaned harder into its comedic absurdity or, conversely, fully embraced its darker undercurrents, Bugonia could have been a knockout. Instead, it hovers somewhere in between, clever, intriguing, and beautifully made, but oddly lacking the cohesive glue inbetween the gaps to make the stellar film it aims to be.
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