Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos (Poor Things; Kinds of Kindness) — Screenplay by Will Tracy (The Menu).
Bugonia marks the 4th collaboration between multiple Oscar-winning actress Emma Stone and the most famous filmmaker of the so-called ‘Greek Weird Wave’ (and in a row, no less). Their latest film together is an English-language remake of Jang Joon-hwan’s black comedy titled Save the Green Planet!, a South Korean film released in 2003. Though initially conceived as an opportunity for Jang, the original filmmaker, to direct the English-language remake of his own film for an international audience (not unlike what Ole Bornedal did with his English-language Nightwatch remake in the 1990s), it is now, instead, a fascinating instance in which a European auteur is adapting an Asian original story though in a North American setting. In a way, that almost intercontinental approach is fitting for a film about people who may or may not come from different worlds in more ways than one. It’s also, frankly, a really effective film.
Yorgos Lanthimos’ Bugonia follows Teddy Gatz (played by Jesse Plemons), a conspiracy theorist, who enlists the help of his cousin, Don (played by Aidan Delbis), as he plans to abduct Michelle Fuller (played by Emma Stone), who is a powerful CEO of a pharmaceutical company. Teddy is adamant that Michelle is actually an alien hiding in plain sight and in a position of power, and that her species ultimately hopes to destroy our planet. As you might’ve guessed, the central question becomes if there is actually something to Teddy’s beliefs, or if it’s all in his head.
Given the somewhat straightforward-sounding premise this dark comedy film with sci-fi and thriller elements has, I suspect those not attuned to the wavelengths at which Lanthimos usually operates will find the opening set-up phase to be unnervingly off-kilter or dry. Those more accustomed to his brand of cinema will be less surprised, as the opening has all the unnerving oddities of a Lanthimos effort. Despite having many Lanthimosian traits, the structure of the film, the genre elements, and the acting showcase at the heart of the film may actually make it one of his more accessible films.
The film’s opening highlights and juxtaposes methods of persuasion on the part of the film’s two primary characters, Melissa and Teddy. In the opening scenes, we see Teddy attempt to persuade (or exploit) his impressionable cousin to follow him even to mad lengths that will damage his chance at a conventional life down the line (as we see Teddy press him to go along with being ‘chemically castrated’), before we then see how Melissa goes about her day, trying to make use of corporate lingo to persuade viewers of their methods in a PR video they’re preparing. There’s also some dark, knowing comedy aimed at how some corporations walk a tightrope by technically complying with guidelines against overworking their workforce, while still implying they should finish their jobs, even if they can’t legally press them to work longer hours. I think it is a fascinating tone-setter of a juxtaposition, as it illustrates how they’re both trying to win over individuals despite being, clearly, from different classes, in different environments, and with different levels of preparedness. It thus, in addition to setting them up as people seeking to persuade others, also makes for a solid introduction of them as characters verbally capable of going toe to toe with one another in key scenes.
And the main performers really are outstanding to watch. Emma Stone is reliably great with her frequent collaborator, of course. But her reliably strong and fearless work, as an individual thrust down into and shackled in a dirty basement against her will, and hoping to outsmart, provoke, or sway her captor, is stunning. Though the character responds to the situation in many ways, Stone plays her initial moments as captive with a competence and a sense of being ‘above it all’ that is really effective. Her character’s strength and elevated social status are communicated really well here, and it’s fascinating to see how someone like her navigates her confinement and the unpredictability of Teddy, who displays all the signs of someone who has a screw loose but who, simultaneously, is crazy enough to be violent. Across from her, Jesse Plemons, who proved himself to be a great new addition to Lanthimos’ recurring cast in Kinds of Kindness, has turned in a gung-ho performance, as he fully conveys every aspect of his character’s headspace. He complements the design of his character with a dedicated and passionate performance that emphasizes both a deep sense of conviction and a sense that his tin foil hat beliefs will have him ready and able to come up with an answer to everything. They’re both brilliant, and it was a stroke of genius to cast Aidan Delbis, a non-professional actor on the autism spectrum, as his performance makes for a great counter-weight to Plemons and Stone.
As is usually the case with Lanthimos’ pictures, he employs low and high angle shots of characters to emphasize the absurdity of his films and characters, but here he also emphasizes the observational quality in wide shots of movement or, frankly, the chaotic abduction itself, which is partly played for laughs. Lanthimos also deploys Jerskin Fendrix’s score quite well. It has moments of quiet unease with its unnerving melodies, but also inflated, bombastic sounds that help to paint the absurdist horror of events on a large scale despite small, modest locations or slight incompetence of the actions being carried out. The soundscape thus, at times, intentionally clashes with the visuals slightly in ways that help to put stress on the deliberate absurdity of it all, but also to invite you into the headspace of the main character, who attributes importance to the act he carries out in the film.
This audiovisual contradiction also really works because it fits with the film’s whole ‘is she or isn’t she?’ focus. It’s just one of the elements that help to keep you on your toes, as the film does a good job of zigging and zagging as to whether or not the conspiracy theory has any merit. It makes for an entertaining watch. In general, the film takes some big swings and backs it up with visuals that span several genres in surprising ways that may take you to the edge of your seat. I’ll add that, not unlike in Kinds of Kindness, Lanthimos makes use of black-and-white shots for dreams and/or memories that, in this film’s case, are clearly meant to make it feel like a different film entirely whenever used. These dreams and/or memories are breathtaking and absurd in interesting ways that helped to make me unsure as to whether or not whoever was thinking back to it (or dreaming it) was reliable.
Although I found the film’s eventual conclusion to be quite effective, I can understand if the ending may not fully work for some (though there is room for interpretation; the film does explicitly land on an answer). What may be more interesting than the answer the film lands on or the interpretations thereof is what, I think, the film is really about, which is the social criticism at the heart of the film. Ultimately, I think of Yorgos Lanthimos’ Bugonia as a film about how it is perhaps easier to tell yourself that abusers of power are inhuman when they display destructive, inhumane qualities than to accept the fact that they’re people deliberately keeping you down and exploiting the working class. Lanthimos’ film, as such, invites you to contemplate human nature through the lenses of paranoid conspiracy theorists and the capitalist corporate elite, whose relationship is perceived by the former as a grand-scale battle between good and evil for the future of mankind.
9 out of 10
– Review written by Jeffrey Rex Bertelsen.
I'm Jeffrey Rex 