About the film (courtesy of Focus Features):
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.
Based on its trailers and director, Yorgos Lanthimos, whose filmography is anything but boring, Bugonia promises a wild ride from start to finish. It delivers in as many ways as a film can, having any audience on the edge of their seat for the majority of the film’s two-hour runtime. It also elegantly poses viewers with more questions than answers. It manages to do so much with so little, both in terms of cast and the environments in which the story unravels. It is truly an otherworldly experience that most adults should see.
Headlined by a main cast the size of which you could count on one hand, the plot uses each of them to their fullest. Emma Stone plays her role as Michelle perfectly: a high-profile businesswoman at the height of her career before her train of success gets derailed by Jesse Plemons’s deranged character, Teddy. Jesse puts on a masterclass in line delivery, where most of his lines land with an air of consequence and mystery that is rarely seen elsewhere.
This is heightened by Aidan Delbis’s character, Don, backing up his cousin’s every whim, eager to just belong somewhere in a world that has seemingly abandoned them. All the while, Michelle fights in the best ways that she knows how in any given situation, desperate to escape the confines of the hellish reality that she consistently finds herself in. Their performances blend together in a compelling medley of suspense and tension.
The cinematography and sound design for Bugonia are incredible. Everything from the drop-dead silence that rings from time to time as viewers cling to their armrests waiting to see around the next proverbial corner, to the music that was expertly handpicked for this experience. Green Day’s “Basket Case” and Chappell Roan’s “Good Luck Babe” set their respective scenes up flawlessly and with a hint of irony sprinkled in. Certain tracks shift the tone for the rest of the movie.
Everything from glass shattering to the jangling of accessories is purposeful; Bugonia is quiet when it needs to be but screams in elegant and well-timed bursts. All the while, the camera angles and visuals, while unsettling, just serve to rope an audience in deeper and deeper, acting as a minecart for the story that’s careening from point to point.
All of this should sound like a resounding applause for the film (which it is). However, it would be disingenuous not to mention some of Bugonia‘s heavier topics that could be too much for some people to watch. It maintains a sense of tension that could be overwhelming while toying with mental illness and featuring (at times excessive) gore. This psychological thriller will not be for everyone, but for those who know what to expect, it is incredibly enjoyable. It also manages to entwine philosophical and political conversations without shoving them down anyone’s throats, which is certainly appreciated.
Bugonia opens in theaters Friday, October 31st. Put this one on your to-do list.
