Bugonia (2025) was released nationally on Halloween, and its vibes lived up to, if not exceeded the holiday’s expectations. The film was directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, whose past works include Dogtooth (2009), The Lobster (2015), and most recently, Poor Things (2023). Throughout his filmography, Lanthimos has developed a notorious style of filmmaking, typically exploring the human condition and creating unsettling feelings among viewers. Bugonia follows two conspiracy-theorist cousins as they capture the high-profile CEO of a major pharmaceutical company, convinced she is an alien.
The film is based on the South Korean movie Save the Green Planet! (2003), which follows a similar plot excluding some slight changes. This adaptation was written by producer and screenwriter Will Tracy, who is known for his dark-comedy films. The idea of adapting the film was suggested by notorious horror director Ari Aster, who later produced the project.
When I first saw the trailer for Bugonia, I was immediately hooked. Not only was the premise intriguing, but the names attached to the project guaranteed it a spot on my watchlist. As a result, when I saw Bugonia on the list of films being screened at the annual Montclair Film Festival, I immediately made myself a Montclair Film+ member to get tickets as soon as possible.
On October 18, I took my seat in The Wellmont Theater to see the film. I’m generally fond of Montclair’s sense of a film community, and such a shocking film can only be truly matched by an extremely shocked audience, so watching the film at a festival was the right decision. Will Tracy, who gave a Q&A following the screening that I unfortunately missed, was awarded for Bugonia’s screenwriting. Montclair’s Junior Jury, a group of high school students who apply to be able to view a collection of the festival’s films (an honor I was able to serve at last year’s festival), awarded Bugonia as their favorite film.
“I genuinely thought Bugonia was one of the best films I’ve seen this year. I felt extremely immersed into the film when I watched, and not a single second went by where I thought this was boring,” said Penn Foster high school junior Jayla Rubio, who served on this year’s Junior Jury. “I had really high expectations for it, and felt really satisfied and almost complete at the ending it had.”
Bugonia’s style, while staying mostly true to Lanthimos’ directorial style, had some major differences from the typical Lanthimos film. One of the most obvious being the choices of music. The song “Good Luck, Babe!” by Chappell Roan, which was also used in the trailer, was a bold, yet powerful choice. The song is a narration by a lesbian woman to her lover, calling her out for acting like a straight woman and hiding her true self. While the song was used as a common pop song that Emma Stone’s CEO character would sing along to in the car, the film followed its themes of hiding one’s true self. Some other major songs included in the film were “Basket Case” by Green Day and, at the very end of the film, “Where Have All The Flowers Gone” by Marlene Dietrich.
Another shift in style from Lanthimos’ typical films was the use of normal dialogue in Bugonia. Oftentimes Lanthimos has been known for making his actors deliver their lines in a monotonous tone, such as in his film The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017), but Bugonia strayed from this trend, almost as if to give a sense of reality to the situation, immersing the audience in a story that seemingly takes place in their world. Visually, Bugonia followed film theory, using harsh, tungsten lighting tinted yellow in the home of the conspiracy theorists and calmer, fluorescent lighting in the CEO’s office building. It can often be hard to pull off specific colored lighting, especially this type of hard lighting, but it did not take away from the story or distract the audience in any way.
The tone of Bugonia is a very well-balanced mix of comedic elements and much more shocking elements, almost bordering the horror genre in many cases. In some ways, Bugonia works as the perfect Halloween movie for this reason. The standout elements of the film for me, however, were the performances. Emma Stone, who plays CEO Michelle Fuller, not only gave an extremely convincing performance in the film, but she also shaved her head as part of the role, showing dedication and commitment. Jesse Plemons, who plays Teddy, the ‘initiator’ of the conspiracy-inspired kidnapping, gives an extremely emotional performance, noting his character’s background of losing his mother to a pharmaceutical experiment conducted by Fuller’s company. Newcoming actor Aidan Delbis, who plays Plemons’ cousin Don, a follower of his plot, acts as the heart of the film, making for some of the hardest-hitting emotional beats in the film. Even the most minor characters gave extremely convincing performances in Bugonia, making the world of the film extremely immersive.
The ending of Bugonia, however, was one of the more divisive choices the film makes. Many had predicted the ending just upon seeing promotional material, but shortly after this reveal, the film ends with the extinction of all humanity as a result of Delbis and Plemons’ actions. I was taken aback by the sudden shift in tone of the ending, seeing as this reveal and conclusion seemed to be placed in the last ten minutes or so of the film. Still, upon reflection, this was likely the best way to end the film, as it sent a clear message with its imagery of all humanity lifeless across the world, set perfectly to “Where Have All The Flowers Gone” by Marlene Dietrich.
I would like to recognize that Bugonia will not be a film for everyone. Some intense sequences and stylistic choices will definitely not resonate with all crowds. Although it may not be everyone’s film of the year (a title likely better suited for Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another (2025)), I find Bugonia to be my favorite film released this year, not only because of its compelling story and underlying themes, but also because of the score, soundtrack, and performances. The dedication and care put into the project by all of Bugonia’s crew should not go unnoticed because, for those it resonates with, Bugonia is an extremely fun and interesting film.
