Bugonia is a bizarre film that slowly pulls you in. It does not rush to explain itself and asks the viewer to be patient. The story feels cold at first, but something human sits underneath and becomes clearer with time.
The film follows two conspiracy obsessed men who kidnap Michele, played by Emma Stone, a powerful corporate figure they believe is an alien trying to destroy Earth. It sounds ridiculous, and it is, but Yorgos Lanthimos uses this absurd idea to explore paranoia, power, and the way people hold on to beliefs when the world stops making sense. The film is an adaptation of a relatively obscure Korean black comedy.
Emma Stone gives a very strong performance and carries the film with ease. She brings control, mystery and emotional weight to a role that could have easily slipped into caricature. Jesse Plemons is equally impressive, grounded and unsettling in his own quiet way. Together, they make the characters feel strangely real.
Lanthimos’s direction is instantly recognizable. He drops you into a world where nothing fully makes sense, yet everything feels oddly familiar. The tone is darkly funny but emotionally sharp. He builds tension through behaviour rather than plot, through silence, glances, and moments that should be funny but turn uncomfortable instead.
The first half of the film is slow and may test your patience, but this pacing feels intentional. In the second half, the film tightens, the tension rises, and the payoff becomes more rewarding.
Robbie Ryan’s cinematography makes every scene feel both beautiful and surreal. It is perfectly matched with Jerskin Fendrix’s paranoid and unsettling score, which adds a constant sense of unease. The soundtrack is excellent and plays a key role in shaping the film’s mood.
Bugonia does not fully explain itself, and that feels like the point. You either surrender to its strange rhythm, or you resist it. For me, it worked. Lanthimos does not tell you what to think. He simply lets the madness unfold, and that is what makes it linger. It works well as a black comedy, dry, dark, and quietly funny.
It may not be as good as The Favourite, but it is easily Lanthimos’s boldest and most unpredictable film since The Lobster.