A review of the radical new film “Bugonia”
Yorgos Lanthimos is one of the most unconventional and exciting directors around today and Emma Stone is one of the most talented and audacious actresses in the current firmament. So any film which combines their skills is a must-see for any serious fan of cinema. “Bugonia” – actually a remake of the 2003 South Korean film “Save The Green Planet!” – is a challenging view, both narratively and visually, and will not appeal to all, but it is never dull and I rate it highly.
Stone plays Michelle Fuller, a high-powered CEO of Auxolith Biosciences, who is kidnapped by two conspiracy theorists, the maniacal Teddy (Jesse Plemins) and his mentally challenged cousin Don (Aidan Delbis). Stone and Plemons have almost all the lines in the script and literally throw themselves into the roles (Stone is given a buzz-cut for real on camera) and they will rightly receive nominations for their performances.
Teddy believes that Michelle is an alien who is out to destroy the human race and, in his imprisonment of the executive, the power dynamic between them and the viewer’s comprehension about what is going on vacillate wildly. As with any Lanthimos film, the shooting and the sound are key ingredients in a story that is often shocking, occasionally funny, and always gripping.