"Bugonia" is another winner from Emma Stone

Two-time Academy Award winner Emma Stone reunites with director Yorgos Lanthimos in “Bugonia” from Focus Features. Will Tracy pens the film’s screenplay, a remake of the 2003 South Korean film “Save the Green Planet!”

At its core, the film centers on Teddy Gatz (portrayed by Jesse Plemons) and his autistic cousin Don (played by Aidan Delbis). The narrative follows the two young men as they engage in the kidnapping of Michelle Fuller (played by Stone), a prominent CEO. Their motivation for this radical action stems from their suspicion that she may be an extraterrestrial being with the intent of annihilating Earth.

I admire a specific type of film: one that begins with an outrageous idea and commits to it so seriously that its absurdity transforms into a significant insight. “Bugonia” is a perfect example of this. Starting as a paranoid fantasy, it ultimately reveals how fear, loneliness, and certainty can combine to create something dangerous.

Plemons and Stone deliver exceptional performances within a straightforward narrative framework. Instead of adhering to conventional thriller conventions, the film operates as a psychological pressure cooker, effectively heightening tension by eroding certainty.

Yorgos Lanthimos directs with his characteristic unsettling composure, allowing elements of absurdity to persist and engender discomfort. The film’s potency resides in its meticulous examination of belief and conviction. Emma Stone’s portrayal of a clever and resilient CEO exemplifies her adept navigation of captivity through psychological strategies, while Jesse Plemons embodies her captor with a chilling demeanor. In calm that makes his conviction seem dangerously persuasive.

What sets “Bugonia” apart is its refusal to mock conspiracy thinking from a distance. It explores the roots of these beliefs—disconnection and mistrust—seriously, even when the ideas are absurd. The film feels anchored in the present, where suspicion is commonplace, and certainty overrides curiosity.

I recommend “Bugonia” because it lingers long after the credits roll, prompting reflection on where things go wrong in communication. It’s darkly funny, quietly disturbing, and surprisingly compassionate—a rarity in today’s cinematic landscape, where it risks misunderstanding to convey something true.

Final Grade: B

“Bugonia” is in theaters now.