Two conspiracy-obsessed men kidnap the CEO of a major company when they become convinced that she's an alien who wants to destroy Earth.
Director: Yorgos Lanthimos
Cast: Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Aidan Delbis, Stavros Halkias, Alicia Silverstone
Release Date: October 31, 2025
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Sci-Fi
Rated R for bloody violent content including a suicide, grisly images and language.
Runtime: 1h 59m
Review:
Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone’s fourth film together continues their fascinating collaboration which continues to delve into stranger territory with each film Bugonia continuing that trend to great effect. Lanthimos’ remake of the 2003 South Korean film Save the Green Planet! boast his self-assured style with his vision clearly established from the onset. His film is visually engaging throughout that gives the proceeding a sense of urgency and immediacy that works in the story’s favor. The story runs through a slew of timely themes such as corporate greed and its human cost which can result in extreme radicalism fermented on the internet. Emma Stone is given the task of being the worst kind of self-absorbed, corporate leader whose measured speech barely hides the insincere callousness simmering underneath. Stone delivers a fantastic performance as the kidnapped CEO that uses every bit of her intellect to try and escape from Jesse Plemons and Aidan Delbis conspiracy obsessed cousins. Plemons has corned the market on playing slightly off kilter characters who carry an air of danger with this role being tailor made for his talents. His character is ragged both emotionally and physically as he struggles to cope with his mother’s illness, something he blames Stone’s company and her personally. Their interchanges prove to be the highlights of the film as both performers bounce off each other effortlessly which just demands your attention as both are more than capable of turning from one emotional extreme to another in an instant. They make for a fascinating onscreen adversary especially as the script starts to toy with expectations especially in the film’s final act which veers into absurdist nihilism which is sure to turn off some viewers. Those who enjoyed the twisted Twilight Zone storytelling from Lanthimos, Stone and Plemons previous film, Kinds of Kindness, will find plenty to enjoy in the equally well-crafted and strange Bugonia.
A-
