Let’s admit it: Lanthimos’s films are built in such a way that they cannot help but spark interest—even if one does not necessarily agree with their content.
Films such as Alps, The Favourite, and Poor Things—all of which premiered and were awarded at Venice—make one appreciate his imagination and ideas.
With Bugonia, Lanthimos once again engages, in his distinct and highly personal style, with some of the great problems troubling our planet today: ecological, existential, professional, social, relational—essentially, every dimension of human life seems to run through the film.
Lanthimos’s Black Comedy
And all of this is delivered through a black comedy that combines current themes with elements of science fiction—with remarkable success.
Who, ultimately, is the heroine played by Emma Stone in Bugonia? The two strange men (Jesse Plemons and Aidan Delbis) who abduct her believe she is… an alien bent on destroying the planet.
But what is it these two odd figures really want from this ruthless (in her work) woman?
Lanthimos sets most of the story inside a sprawling house in rural America. There, the kidnappers imprison Stone’s character, shaving her head bald.
The dialogue between them often borders on the absurd, yet each argues with such passion that the viewer is left uncertain whom to believe.
The combination of Lanthimos’s peculiar humor with the topicality of the issues raised is truly striking. With style and imagination, the film slyly touches on provocative themes such as religion and science, alleged human experimentation, and even scarred family bonds.
Yorgos Lanthimos: “I Fell in Love With the Script”
“I read Will Tracy’s script and immediately fell in love with it,” Lanthimos said in Venice. “It was funny and entertaining but also made you think deeply about many things. I felt it was very relevant to its time when I first read it, three years ago—and unfortunately, I believe it is even more relevant today.”
Screenwriter Will Tracy, also present at the press conference, mentioned the South Korean horror film Save the Green Planet, which served as the inspiration for Bugonia. Together with Lanthimos, he adapted it to the director’s vision.
The two films, however, bear no resemblance to each other. Bugonia will be released in cinemas in due course by Tanweer Distribution.
