What happens when a high-powered CEO and an eco-terrorist beekeeper clash? Yorgos Lanthimos’s new film ‘Bugonia’ throws Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons into a brutal, philosophical duel that challenges everything you think you know about heroes and villains. Prepare for a movie that will toy with your sympathies and leave you stunned. Who will you root for in this scaldingly topical thriller?
Yorgos Lanthimos, the acclaimed director known for his distinctive cinematic vision, plunges audiences into a gripping and scathingly topical world with his latest film, “Bugonia.” This intense psychological thriller features a mesmerizing duel between Emma Stone as a ruthless corporate CEO and Jesse Plemons as a vengeful eco-terrorist, exploring the fraught complexities of modern ideological conflict.
Lanthimos, master of “enlightened misanthropy,” continues his tradition of crafting narratives that compel viewers to identify with deeply flawed characters. Much like the works of Stanley Kubrick or Oliver Stone’s “Natural Born Killers,” “Bugonia” operates with a dark playfulness, dissecting societal anxieties through a lens of unsettling humor and profound insight into human nature.
At the heart of the corporate satire is Michelle Fuller, CEO of Auxolith Corp., portrayed with impeccable, crisp heartlessness by Emma Stone. Michelle embodies the contemporary corporate facade of “transparency,” meticulously crafted to obscure the true, self-serving agenda of her pharmaceutical empire, making her a compelling, if contemptible, figure of modern capitalism.
Countering her is Jesse Plemons’ transformative performance as Teddy, a disheveled beekeeper driven by a potent mix of personal tragedy and fervent conspiracy theories. Teddy’s motivation stems from the catastrophic impact of an experimental drug manufactured by Auxolith on his mother, fueling his descent into a radical, almost incel-like eco-terrorism.
The film’s core tension lies in the kidnap thriller premise, initially reminiscent of an “Antifa-vs.-the-corporation” take on “Misery.” However, “Bugonia” deviously toys with audience sympathies, beginning with a cold-blooded detachment from both the morally compromised CEO and the extreme, yet intelligently articulate, left-wing extremist.
Will Tracy’s incisive script, noted for his work on “The Menu” and “Succession,” brilliantly exposes the dueling mindsets at play. The dialogue crackles with perception, highlighting contemporary ideological wars through sharp observations, such as the notion of college as a place to “launder privilege” and “activism” itself becoming part of the problem.
While Emma Stone delivers a terrific performance, it is Jesse Plemons who truly commands the screen, offering an extraordinary, lacerating portrayal of Teddy. His desperate, self-martyring dedication to what he perceives as “The Truth” makes him a tragic figure, standing as a poignant representation of a generation grappling with a world in crisis.
As a galvanizing suspense thriller, “Bugonia” escalates with intense action, including blood-splattering suicide and dark twists. The film’s crowning, darkly comedic joke ultimately casts Teddy’s madness and Michelle’s heartlessness in a new light, transforming the narrative into something deeply cosmic and humane, leaving audiences stunned by the powerful, vulnerable world fought over.
