Razor-sharp ‘Bugonia’ ridicules conspiracy theorists with quirks, dark comedy
“The Hand That Rocks the Cradle” joins the ranks of remakes that just don’t cut it, our columnist says. All the action was packed into the ending, which still didn’t deliver the needed punch. Emma Soto | Contributing Illustrator
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An ancient Mediterranean belief dictates that a cattle’s carcass can spontaneously generate bees. Often ritualized, this misconception is called “bugonia,” meaning “oxen-born” in Greek.
Director Yorgos Lanthimos’ 11th feature film, “Bugonia,” parallels the absurdity of the myth, while commenting on our inability to completely invalidate conspiracy theories, no matter how far-fetched.
Lanthimos’ remake of Jang Joon-hwan’s 2003 South Korean film, “Save the Green Planet!,” combines his quirks and dark comedy with tour-de-force performances from Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons. This makes “Bugonia” one of the best films of 2025. It’s a brilliant piece of social commentary that critiques corporatism and expresses the absurdity of our world.
“Bugonia” follows Teddy Gatz (Plemons), a beekeeper and conspiracy theorist, and his neurodivergent cousin, Don (Aidan Delbis), as they kidnap Michelle Fuller (Stone) and hold her in their basement.
Teddy believes Michelle, a powerful corporate executive of the pharmaceutical company Auxolith, is a threatening alien from the Andromeda Galaxy. Black and white flashbacks show that Teddy’s Mom, Sandy Gatz (Alicia Silverstone), was a test subject for an Auxolith drug that put her in a coma, revealing Teddy’s personal trauma may be a motive for the kidnapping.
Teddy and Don shave Michelle’s head and cover her in antihistamine cream so she can’t communicate with other aliens. Teddy gives Michelle four days to arrange a meeting with the Andromedan emperor, believing that their mothership will arrive on Earth with the upcoming lunar eclipse.
“Bugonia” is the fourth collaboration between Lanthimos and Stone. In their 2023 project, “Poor Things,” Stone won the Academy Award for Best Actress, and she’ll certainly be in the same conversation for “Bugonia.”
Stone is expectedly amazing, and anything less would be a disappointment. She’s taking strides with these quirkier films, delivering an extremely mature performance as the well-spoken CEO. A large portion of the story is just Stone and Plemons haggling each other, and it’s riveting.
Even with Stone’s greatness, Plemons’ performance is arguably the best in the film. He absolutely nails this role, and it’s one of his most layered portrayals. Teddy radiates intellect, madness and trauma simultaneously. Since playing neo-Nazi Todd Alquist in “Breaking Bad,” Plemons has shown that he’s perfect for these cynical, twisted characters.
He also starred in Lanthimos’ 2024 film “Kinds of Kindness” alongside Stone. It’s delightful to see Plemons step up in these larger roles. I think he’s just scratched the surface of an incredible career.
The biggest surprise of “Bugonia” is Delbis as Don. The 19-year-old self-described autistic actor — who was cast while he was a high school senior — goes toe to toe with Stone and Plemons in his feature film debut.
Don is manipulated by Teddy even as he questions his conspiracies. It’s truly heartbreaking to see, and Delbis makes the audience empathize with the character. Delbis’ performance is sincere and compelling as Don shows genuine concern for Michelle.
From the opening shot of bees pollinating flowers, the camerawork is breathtaking. A large chunk of “Bugonia” is set in the basement and uses the VistaVision format, yet there are still vibrant colors throughout.
Yorgos and cinematographer Robbie Ryan were purposeful with their framing. Several shots included crucifixes on walls in Teddy’s home. With Teddy’s obsessive nature in mind, this choice seems like a comment on the potential religious corruption. Conversely, it could reflect religion’s comfort during oppressive times; Karl Marx wrote that religion is the “opium of the people.”
Will Tracy’s script for “Bugonia” is razor-sharp. There’s a balanced mix of comedy — like Michelle’s car karaoke rendition of “Good Luck, Babe!” by Chappell Roan — and bone-chilling moments, like antifreeze in Sandy’s IV bag.
While the film is extremely well-paced, the reveal that Michelle is an alien felt boilerplate. The buildup kept me on the edge of my seat, and I can’t deny I was surprised. However, after sitting with the twist, it felt like the safest shock-value ending possible. I admire Yorgos’ commitment to absurdity, but this ending felt too packed, even if it was safe.
Still, Yorgos and Tracy meticulously set up the intense turns of “Bugonia.” I didn’t expect a couple of the twists, but even if you do, there’s not much time to breathe before they happen.
The character shift is extremely interesting. The entire movie makes Teddy out to be insane and evil, which I’m not denying, but he was right all along. “Bugonia” doesn’t condone being a tin foil hatter, but it expresses that we can’t fully disprove conspiracies as ridiculous as they may seem.
In a way, it reminded me of Stanley Kubrick’s “Eyes Wide Shut;” with how absurd our world is, you’ll never know what’s happening behind the curtain unless you’re controlling the pull wand.
This year delivered the holy trinity of politically driven, dark comedies: Ari Aster’s “Eddington” (which features Stone), Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battler After Another” and now “Bugonia” (produced by Aster, among others).
It’s encouraging to see these fresh, timely stories that critique society in humorous and serious ways. In a time of political division, I hope people can see these films as sources of unity, no matter what side of the coin they’re on.
