Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos is back with his third film in as many years for “Bugonia” starring Emma Stone, a constant collaborator since “The Favourite.”
Stone plays the CEO of a large pharmaceutical company who is abducted by Jesse Plemons’ Teddy and his cousin Don (Aidan Delbis, an actor on the spectrum) as they believe she is an alien.
A majority of the film sees Stone’s Michelle pleading her case to Teddy that she isn’t from another galaxy, but the events have a personal stake for the conspiracy theorist, who only wishes to save the Earth.
“Bugonia” is an English-language and gender-swapped remake of “Save the Green Planet!” by Jang Joon-hwan, who was initially attached to direct the remake before Lanthimos came on board.
The story at hand is very much in theme with Lanthimos’ fascination absurdist comedy dating back to his extraordinarily original “The Lobster,” taken further in recent outings like “The Favourite” and “Poor Things” (both starring Stone, who also appeared in Lanthimos’ “Kinds of Kindness last year).
Joining forces with Lanthimos is Ari Aster – famed director of “Hereditary” and “Midsommar” – as producer and former The Onion editor-in-chief Will Tracy as screenwriter, following writing stints for “Last Week Tonight,with John Oliver,” “Sucession” and “The Menu.”
Lanthimos and company really have Teddy and Michelle butt heads over the existence of aliens, where even audiences are left wondering until the end what that argument all means.
One end is how destructive corporate greed can be while another is humanity itself is the cause of all things wrong in the world, both valid points that come up in “Bugonia.”
After intriguing shots in Lanthimos’ past three films, cinematographer Robbie Ryan opts for angled close-ups for debates between Teddy and Michelle, really amping up the spotlight how great actors Plemons and Stone are.
Stone – whose two Best Actress Oscar wins were from Lanthimos films – embodies the cold board head even with her wide eyes that scream empathy, and her commitment to shave her head reflects how driven she is for the cause.
Meanwhile, Plemons is very much convincing as the outcast of society determined to save it all costs, even as Lanthimos and Tracy throw in some equally ridiculous lines that maintain a comedic structure.
The discussions between the main characters are kept silent for the most part, but every now and then composer Jerskin Fendrix whips up some insane tunes to really cement how inane “Bugonia” is.
At a budget of $55 million (P3.23 billion), “Bugonia” is Lanthimos’ most expensive movie yet and probably his most accessible given the state of the world where people will believe anything that strengthens their worldview, even at the expense of others.
It does offer the chance for more viewers to explore more of the director’s works like “The Lobster,” “Dogtooth,” and “The Killing of Sacred Deer” which really showcase how unique a filmmaker he really is.
As more films come out vying for Oscar glory, Lanthimos, Stone, and Plemons have stated their case to add another Academy Award nomination to their resumes, and really get more than the bees buzzing again.