‘Bugonia’: Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons Are an Apocalyptic Riot in Yorgos Lanthimos’ Latest Surreal Vision

Alci Rengifo

The dying of the bees has long been an urgent environmental concern and a clear symbol of humanity’s peril. If we lose those miniature wonders of nature, then our very existence will start an irreversible downward spiral. Yorgos Lanthimos takes the idea to its extreme in “Bugonia,” the latest surreal trip from this most unique of modern filmmakers. The Greek enfant terrible is also doing his first remake. He takes the basics of Jang Joon-hwan’s wacky 2003 Korean comedy “Save the Green Planet!” and updates them seamlessly in his own voice. It helps that while the style of Joon-hwan’s movie feels very much of its time, the plot is even more relevant now. Social divisions are fueling paranoia mixed with anger, exasperated by the internet. Some will snap and take matters into their own hands.

As in the original, the main character is an apiarist, here named Teddy (Jesse Plemons), who bemoans the dying of the bees and his own life as a marginal factory worker for a major corporation. He has also consumed vast amounts of conspiracy theories from the internet, shaping a warped view of the world. Teddy’s only other apparent social relation is his cousin, the somewhat dim Donny (Aidan Delbis). Together they hatch a scheme to kidnap Michelle Fuller (Emma Stone), the CEO of a biomedical company. Teddy is convinced Michelle is actually an alien from Andromeda, here to prepare the way for an apocalyptic takeover during an upcoming lunar eclipse. They carry out a clumsy but successful kidnapping at Michelle’s home, shave her head (Andromedans apparently use hair for communication) and bring her back to Teddy’s basement. An intense interrogation soon follows.

For Lanthimos’ fans, this is a brisk return to shorter form for the director, after the brilliant period adventure “Poor Things,” and the long, challenging anthology film “Kinds of Kindness.” No matter the scale, this is such a distinct artist that his stamp is never in doubt. He works this time with writer Will Tracy, whose catalog includes “The Menu” and shows like “The Regime” and “Succession,” but the director’s obsessions are always present. A classic surrealist at heart, Lanthimos deconstructs our ever maddening civilization. As in the original Korean movie, the story plays with our sympathies. Teddy certainly comes across as crazy, but it is not difficult to see the conditions that have produced him. Low wages, ecological catastrophe, and the death of his mother, Sandy (Alicia Silverstone), after an unsuccessful drug trial to treat an illness, have left him with little faith in anything. The cosmic conspiracy theories he consumes give his plight an explanation, as irrational as it sounds. 

Meanwhile, Michelle is a character created for Lanthimos’ famously deadpan approach with performances. She barely shows emotion when praising her workers, telling them they can leave the office at 5:30, unless they have more work to do. When she awakens in Teddy’s basement, chained, shaved and smeared in cream, the CEO keeps her cool and doesn’t shy away from feigning friendliness to hide obvious condescension. It becomes a truly surreal standoff, laced with the director’s brand of humor, which is funny and acidic at the same time. Michelle wonders if “this is a sex thing” and Teddy retorts that he and Donny have chemically castrated themselves for protection from her tricks. She assures him he needs help, since she has a degree in psychology. He is not wrong in dismissing Ivy Leagues as mere pathways to privilege. “Bugonia” becomes a wild portrait of an aspect of the bizarre social conflicts we are undergoing in contemporary America. Class war can be a clash between the entitled capitalists and a working class with legitimate grievances, yet replacing political ideology with warped ideas floating around cyberspace. YouTube has replaced manifestos. Donny in his simple mindedness starts having doubts, but Teddy is so fanatical he bends every situation to his will.

The real world has been turning upside down to such a degree that the arts have struggled to keep up. It is hard to create satire when the times are themselves naturally satirical. There are moments in “Bugonia” with Lanthimos’ familiar uses of blood and cringe, but it never becomes as unhinged as “Save the Green Planet!” There is stronger tension in moments, such as a dinner scene where Teddy and Michelle discuss their views, with the CEO casually explaining her Social Darwinian view of life. Teddy admires the bees for what they contribute to nature. Michelle admires them for being such efficient workers. With the material as the focus, Lanthimos returns to a grittier, more intimate style with cinematographer Robbie Ryan, who still keeps the tone evocative. The score by Jerskin Fendrix has a Hitchcock thriller feel where the screeching violins underscore the suspense. Then there are the performances, which do reach moments of brilliance. In Emma Stone, Lanthimos has found a collaborator who is well attuned to his voice. This is his third film with the actor and she remains a perfect conduit for his language and tone.

Any fans out there of “Save the Green Planet!” will be wondering if Lanthimos’ preserves its memorable climax. They would do well to not spoil anything for unsuspecting companions in the movie theater. Even more than the original, and in a very evocative way, Lanthimos brings across what could be the main message of “Bugonia.” Our species is much more fragile than we would like to admit. We think we are lords of this planet, when, in fact, we are blindly hurtling toward our destruction. Most likely, it is Earth which will be able to survive us. The buried tragedy in the plot of this story is that many of us will be seeking answers in the wrong places, even if we are not totally wrong in our suspicion that powerful forces are running the gears of society. Lanthimos’ film almost feels like it wants to weep and laugh while raising a clenched fist at our current situation. 

“Bugonia” releases Oct. 24 in select theaters and expands Oct. 31 in theaters nationwide.