A wacky and bizarre slow-burn that doesn't hold back once it combusts into a wondrous blaze of absurdity.
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The exploration of the human psyche has always been fascinating across Yorgos Lanthimos’ filmography and his latest is just another strong addition to the growing list. A remake of the 2003 South Korean film Save the Green Planet! by Jang Joon-hwan, Bugonia stars Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Aidan Delbis, Stavros Halkias, and Alicia Silverstone.
The film follows delirious conspiracy theorist Teddy (Plemons) who kidnaps high-profile female corporate executive Michelle Fuller (Stone), with the help of his intellectually-impaired cousin Don (Delbis), for suspecting her to be an alien sent to destroy Earth.
Stone gives a most enigmatic yet poised and composed performance of a kidnapped woman, having mastered the deadpan deliveries Lanthimos’ films require. She may be in shackles and at the mercy of her captors but her power still looms over them, an easy feat against Plemons’ manic Teddy who’s as gullible as he is greasy. Plemons does his best at delivering an effortless portrayal of a delusional individual so consumed by conspiracy theories, he feels lived-in. They’re a magnetic force to behold when sharing heated dialogues, thanks to Will Tracy’s script that's "so clever, it’s silly" and vice versa. Sometimes scathing, otherwise poignant, the best of all being the not-so-subtle jabs at toxic corporate culture.
Michelle’s not a random captive as it turns out – her company is responsible for putting Teddy’s mother in a comatose state after a failed test. She manipulates him by feeding him lies of a cure which he immediately rushes off to administrate. In the brief moment of his absence, she discovers a hidden room covered in blood – dismembered body parts in jars, photographs of prior captives before her – a grisly image of Teddy’s crimes. It’s at this moment Bugonia gets more tense and interesting. After its slow-burn first hour, things sure escalated pretty quick once the needle dropped.
Is Michelle really an alien as Teddy believes? Or is Teddy just a very disturbed individual with serial killer tendencies? Are humans truly doomed from existence? And does the fate of humanity really lie in the murderous hands of a delirious truther? A lot will go on in your mind as the film feeds you the information, slowly but surely, captivating through Robbie Ryan's vivid cinematography, the mise en scene so careful and deliberate.
Whichever end the wind blows on the truth, Bugonia has already secured all the praises it needs for its exquisite handling of a bizarre and out-of-this-world concept that would hardly work in another director’s hands. Trust Lanthimos to translate someone else’s 20-year old idea into something very much his own. This is one of those films best tackled without prior knowledge.
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