Director Yorgos Lanthimos returns with Bugonia, an offbeat sci-fi satire featuring Emma Stone in her fourth consecutive collaboration with the filmmaker. Premiering at the Venice Film Festival, the movie mixes bizarre comedy with a potent environmental warning, centering on corporate greed and ecological collapse. The story unfolds with Stone starring as Michelle Fuller, the powerful CEO of a biomedical corporation, involved in a strange and twisted kidnapping plot that challenges perceptions of reality and mental stability.
Plot Overview: A Kidnapping Wrapped in Corporate Intrigue and Environmental Anxiety
Bugonia retells the story originally told in the 2003 South Korean film Save The Green Planet! by Jang Joon-hwan, but with a distinct Lanthimos flair. Jesse Plemons plays Teddy, a tightly wound, somewhat unkempt packaging employee at Auxolith, the company led by Stone’s character. Teddy, an amateur beekeeper concerned about the dying bee population, enlists his cousin Don, played by newcomer Aidan Delbis, to abduct Michelle—not for ransom, but because Teddy believes she is an alien bent on destroying Earth.
Their plan involves forcing Michelle to reveal her extraterrestrial origins during an impending lunar eclipse, which Teddy believes will provide a way to save humanity. The kidnapping unfolds chaotically, as Teddy and Don restrain Michelle at his remote home. They shave her head, explaining,
to prevent you contacting your ship
—Teddy, and attempt to coerce her confession while a fierce psychological battle ensues. Michelle, embodying ruthless corporate coldness, resists ferociously, displaying unexpected physical prowess that hints at her formidable nature.
Characters and Performances Spark a Darkly Comic and Uneasy Atmosphere
The tension between Teddy and Michelle drives much of the film‘s energy, setting up a compelling clash of wills. Teddy’s belief in Michelle’s alien identity raises questions about his mental health as much as about the corporate personification of evil. The character of Michelle is described by Teddy as pure corporate evil, particularly in her dismissiveness toward workplace progressive values like diversity training and reasonable working hours. This conflict embodies the broader themes Bugonia tackles: the destructive influence of corporations and humanity’s disregard for its environment.
Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons reunite with shorn heads, enhancing the intensity of their confrontation scenes in the basement, making these exchanges feel like a high-stakes game of psychological cat and mouse. Supporting the leads is Alicia Silverstone, whose small but pivotal role adds an unexpected layer of intrigue, recalling her prior collaboration with Lanthimos in The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017).
The Film’s Unique Tone and Stylistic Choices Distinguish It From Its Source
While Bugonia draws on the framework of its Korean predecessor, it introduces several changes, notably the gender swap of the central captor character from male to female, which adds new dynamics to the story. The screenplay by Will Tracy, known for his work on the TV series Succession and the dark comedy The Menu, infuses the film with sharp satire targeting corporate culture’s relentless prioritization of profit over people and the planet. The mood remains tense and uneasy throughout, blending grotesque humor with moments of genuine horror and despair.
One ominous reflection posed by the film is whether humanity is complicit in its own destruction. A voice in the narrative suggests,
Sometimes a species just winds down,
highlighting the bleak environmental themes beneath the film’s outrageous surface.
Anticipation Builds for Bugonia’s UK Release
Bugonia is set to reach UK cinemas on 31 October 2025, promising fans of Lanthimos’s distinctive style another provocative and challenging experience. The film’s fusion of sci-fi absurdity, corporate critique, and environmental urgency positions it as a unique entry in contemporary cinema. Its release invites viewers to reflect on humanity’s place in the world and the consequences of unchecked corporate power amid ecological crisis.
