Bugonia

Overview

Two conspiracy obsessed young men kidnap the high-powered CEO of a major company, convinced that she is an alien intent on destroying planet Earth.

Rating

9 Reviews

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  CinemaSerf

  7 Nov 7, 2025

  Convinced that the Andromedans are bent on taking over the Earth, cousins “Teddy” (Jesse Plemons) and “Don” (Aidan Delbis) hit upon a plan to force their emperor to discuss the terms by which he will withdraw his fifth-column forces from the world. That involves some anaesthetic, two pairs of stockings and the kidnapping of “Michelle” (Emma Stone). She is the successful chief executive of a blue chip tech company and is, they are convinced, an high ranking official in the enemy government. Actually getting hold of her doesn’t prove so much of a problem, but as they begin their very civilised interrogation it soon becomes quite clear that these two have - what might kindly be referred to as - a screw loose. She is confident that before long the authorities will spot she is missing and launch a full scale search; “Teddy” is equally satisfied that they can keep her under wraps until she reveals the secrets of their communication strategy. She tries a few different tacks to obtain her freedom, but is she ever going to be able to convince them one way or the other to set her free? Aside from taking a fairly joyous pop at some early sci-fi plots, this also sees Yorgos Lanthimos take a swipe at corporate greed and it’s work ethics and with Plemons on top form as the diplomatically minded cousin and Delbis as entertaining as his slightly slower on the uptake relative, the scene is set for an amiable series of scenarios that offer us a none-too-subtle series of parodies of so much of what modern day life thinks is real, important and/or plain shallow. Stone really does enter into the spirit of things and like Plemons, actually looks like she is enjoying the experience - even if at times it looked pretty painful. I did rather enjoy the last ten minutes, and I reckon this is well worth a cinema outing if you like your humour a little more cerebral and you don’t have an inter-stellar communicator in your pocket.

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  Dean

  10 Nov 30, 2025

  Wow, what a twist! I won't say anything about to avoid spoilers, but it's just mindblowing and unique movie. Definitely a masterpiece!

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  Chandler Danier

  8 Dec 24, 2025

  Brutal torture excused with a joke. It was intense. Excessive I felt but...corpo freaks! Tee hee the end with the lovely outfits. I went in blind. It was fun. Some of the most interesting people in film all doing stuff. Watch it as it's more interesting than the other shit out there.

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  ergenekon

  8 Feb 11, 2026

  It was a good movie to watch. Brutal torture and low pace in the middle may be harsh and boring, but eventually covers everything.

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  marawatchthis

  May 3, 2026

  For me, one of Yorgos's best films to date. I used to think Jesse Plemons was just an average actor, but I'm starting to really appreciate his acting, as he's surprised me lately, appearing in different films and adapting perfectly to very different roles. 100% recommended.

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  badelf

  9 Jun 8, 2026

  I am reviewing Bugonia (2025) and Save the Green Planet (2003) together because I watched Bugonia before I discovered that it was a remake. As a rule, I don't watch remakes, especially Hollywood versions, because my experience is that they are never as good as the original. In this case, however, both of these films were excellent. My understanding is that Jang Joon-hwan was scheduled to direct the remake but was unable due to health issues. The choice of Lanthimos as replacement was perfect - I can't imagine anyone else truly understanding the wacky, dark humor of this narrative. Both films operate as a brilliant, hilarious, and deeply sardonic condemnation of mankind's worst impulses; the corporate titan at the center is a symbol of everything the industrial revolution unleashed upon the world. The films ask: what if the real aliens are those who've become so disconnected from humanity, from the earth itself, that they've transformed into something monstrous? The conceit, played with dark absurdist humor, becomes a funhouse mirror reflecting our own ecological devastation, our worship of profit over life, our willingness to sacrifice everything for growth, expansion, conquest. Hwang Jung-min and Emma Stone both deliver spectacular performances as the corporate head, each bringing completely distinct energy to the role. Hwang embodies a certain kind of entitled arrogance with physical precision; Stone brings her signature intensity, that coiled spring quality that can snap from charm to menace. Similarly, Lee Byeong-gu and Jesse Plemons as the alien hunter couldn't be more different in their approaches, yet both are utterly compelling. Lee's manic desperation contrasts sharply with Plemons' measured, almost gentle menace; it's fascinating how the same narrative can accommodate such divergent interpretations and still maintain its strange, unsettling power. The South Koreans currently own the world when it comes to dark cinema, and Save the Green Planet deserves its 10/10 for sheer creativity, audacity, and tonal control. It's a film that shouldn't work, that juggles too many genres, too many tones, and yet it becomes something wholly original. Bugonia follows closely at 9/10, and honestly, it's gutsy as hell for a Western production. In an era when Hollywood too often sands down edges and softens blows, Lanthimos preserves the original's willingness to go to uncomfortable, absurd, and uncompromising places. Both films understand that sometimes the only appropriate response to our collective madness is laughter, and laughter is the vaseline that lets Joon-hwan insert the probe, er, I mean film's message.