Film Review: Bugonia

Welcome back to the blog readers. As you know, I am well into my "Best Picture Expedition," where I venture to watch all ten films nominated for Best Picture. This is the film I was the most nervous about because I did not know at all if I was going to love or hate it in the end. Alas, the time has come for me to watch the film and share my opinion. What would I think of the film? Stick around to find out.

Bugonia was directed by Yorgos Lanthimos from a screenplay by Will Tracy, based on the 2003 film Save the Green Planet! by Jang Joon-hwan. The film stars Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Aidan Delbis, Stavros Halkias, and Alicia Silverstone. In the film, two conspiracy theory-obsessed cousins kidnap the powerful CEO of a company, suspecting that she is secretly an alien that wants to destroy the world.

Like I mentioned in my introductory paragraph, I was unsure on whether or not I would like this film. I have never seen a Yorgos Lanthimos film (despite his films The Favourite (2018) and Poor Things (2023) being award darlings) and was a bit nervous to see what the results would be. So I cleared my mind, loaded up Peacock, and prepared myself for a wild ride regardless of the result. Wild is definitely underselling how much I loved this film. The performances of Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons were superb, as was the score and the messaging of the film.

I want to start by talking about the performance of our leading lady, Emma Stone. Stone is an Oscars darling, having won for her roles in La La Land (2016) and the aforementioned Poor Things, with her role as Michelle Fuller (and as producer) of this film garnering her her sixth and seventh nominations all time (do not get me started kids). But as an actor in this film, she delivers a furious performance that sees her in command of her craft. She is bold in this role, she is fearless, she is gritty, and she absolutely delivers one of the better performances of 2025. For the first time, I will go on record and state that someone in the Best Actress category actually deserved her nomination.

Speaking of people who deserved a nomination is Jesse Plemons. Plemons has been quietly garnering his fame by starting off in smaller roles in bigger projects. But the turn of the decade brought him his biggest success. An Oscar nomination for The Power of the Dog (2021), a marriage to Kirsten Dunst, a role in Killers of the Flower Moon (2023), and a critically acclaimed cameo in Civil War (2024), he came into this film with all the expectations. Taking on the role of Teddy Gatz, he brings a presence that I only previously saw in Civil War. He dominates the screen whenever he is on it, moving from a state of rage and anger to one of guilt and grief in such a phenomenal way. This is a powerhouse performance that should have gotten more love than it got.

The next aspect of the film that I want to talk about regards the music of the film. Jerskin Fendrix is the composer of the score for this film and this is only his third film score (after Poor Things and Kinds of Kindness (2024), both Lanthimos films). He was nominated for an Oscar for Poor Things, and he was nominated for this as well, and it was rightfully deserved. I mean, he will not win this year, but his score was unusually epic for the type of film Bugonia is. I mean, there is a scene in which Jesse Plemons's character Teddy is riding a bicycle, and it is some of the most grand music I have ever heard. He made this score using only three keywords and nothing more: "bees," "basement," and "spaceship." He would be my second pick to win Original Score this year because it was spectacular what he was able to do.

And finally, I want to talk about the story of the film. I will also go into detail regarding the specific themes that we get in this film. As I mentioned in the informational paragraph, the story concerns two conspiracy theory-obsessed cousins that kidnap a powerful CEO while convinced that she is an alien. On its own, it sounds like a joke of a presence (and the film is billed as a black comedy thriller) but screenwriter Will Tracy and Lanthimos really add depth to the conversations at hand. One of the main ones I noticed is how the film really lampoons conspiracy theorists and how ridiculous they sound when they are spewing their bullshit. I think it also talks about the systems and channels in where these people get their theories. I also like what this film says about the class system and the haves and have-nots.

In conclusion, Bugonia is a wild ride that boasts great performances, great music, and has something really poignant to say in today's world. Thank you all for reading, and I will see you for the next post.