My quick rating – 7.3/10. Bugonia opens with Teddy (Jesse Plemons) delivering what has to be one of the most committed conspiracy monologues ever inflicted on a family member. His cousin and best friend, Don (Aidan Delbis) sits through it with the patience of someone who’s clearly heard this speech dozens of times before – only this time, Teddy’s taking action. According to him, Michelle (Emma Stone), a snooty, sky-high CEO, isn’t just another corporate overlord. She’s an alien. And depending on who you ask, that might not even be the most outlandish claim ever made about upper management. I’ve worked in enough corporate environments to safely say some of those higher-ups absolutely sound like they’re from another planet, a mostly robotic one.
It doesn’t take long for Teddy and Don to throw on their beekeeper suits like a bargain-bin Mission: Impossible team and nab Michelle in a kidnapping sequence that leans fully into slapstick chaos. The film has a great time making it obvious that these two are not criminal masterminds. Maybe the moment they slather her entire body with antihistamines to “dull her telepathic abilities” is a clue as to the mental horsepower we’re dealing with. But the humor works because the film grounds its delusions in something very real – Teddy’s mother is in an induced coma due to the drugs produced by Michelle’s company. His paranoia didn’t just appear, it was fed.
Yorgos Lanthimos balances this mix of absurdity and bitterness incredibly well. He keeps the silliness of the alien hoax front and center, but the pharmaceutical-industry satire is unmistakable. It never turns preachy, but the target is clear. Michelle’s character rides a sharp line between terrified captive and dangerously intelligent survivor. Stone nails that complexity – never too sympathetic, never too monstrous, always unreadable in a way that feeds our lingering question: what if she actually is an alien?
It also deploys its themes cleverly, never allowing them to get in the way of the entertainment. There’s a neat parallel between the bees, who are efficient, emotionless, alien-looking creatures, and the humans, who, from the outside looking in at least, seem bafflingly self-destructive. It resonates all the way to the final scene, which practically invites you to decide for yourself whether humanity is worth saving.
But Bugonia’s real strength isn’t in the message; rather, it’s in the execution. The dark comedy hits consistently, the tension builds in all the right places, and the dramatic musical cues give the film a pulse that never falters. It’s violent, it’s weird, it’s funny, and it kept me engaged with the simple, nagging “what if?” hanging over every scene. The ending sticks the landing, and it is entirely up to you how to take it.
I haven’t seen the 2003 Korean original Save the Green Planet! to compare, but Bugonia easily stands on its own. It’s bizarre, stylish, and thoroughly entertaining, one of those films that rewards you for going along with the madness.
