Bugonia and the shocking truth.
Los Angeles, CA, 01/25/2025 (Elevation Magazine)
“Bugonia” is a sick and twisted film written by Will Tracy and Jang Joon-Hwan, directed by Yorgos Lanthimos. The story follows two conspiracy theorists, Teddy and Don, played by Jesse Plemons and Aidan Delbus. They are obsessed with the idea that aliens live among us, and their target, the CEO of a major company in the U.S., whom they believe is an alien intent on destroying the earth. Teddy, a beekeeper, is the alpha in their dynamic, while his cousin Don takes on a beta role, heavily influenced by Teddy’s theories and beliefs.
The film explores various social dynamics, featuring a high-class CEO, the lower-class “busy bees” like Teddy, and a sheriff with a dark past it’s later revealed that he molested Teddy, or perhaps did something worse to him as a child. They live in a small town where everyone knows each other. Teddy and Don decide to kidnap the high-powered woman played by Emma Stone, buzzing off her hair as they believe it’s a means for her to contact her mothership by which I mean her alien ship, not a yoga studio.
Teddy works for her company, a shipping factory owned by the same corporation that Emma Stone’s character leads. Her photo hangs in the break room of this factory. We also learn that Teddy’s mother, Sandy, played by the legendary Alicia Silverstone, was a test subject for a drug developed by this corporation. Though her role is small and mostly seen through flashbacks of Teddy’s repressed memories, I love seeing her on screen; she is an amazing actress who significantly shapes Teddy’s character.
These elements lead the audience to believe that there is more going on than mere conspiracy theories; they reveal Teddy’s deep-seated resentment towards his superiors and the blame he places on them for his life’s misfortunes. Although we’re observing a madman, thoughts of abuse towards his cousin linger in the background.
What makes this film particularly unsettling is the fact that there are people who genuinely believe in such theories. As a TikTok addict, I’ve come across various conspiracy theories, and while I find them entertaining at times, I’m shocked and disgusted by the number of individuals who seem to accept them as truth. The concept of aliens among us is just one of many layers to this film.
The movie raises questions: Is she an alien or not? Are Teddy and Don revolutionaries in a fictional uprising against the powers that be? Is corporate greed and corruption destroying mankind? Yes, yes, and maybe. We live in a time where corporations are taking over and decimating small businesses, social gabps growing, the rich becoming inhuman.
Emma Stone portrays a highly intelligent person held captive by her subhuman “busy bee” captors, pushed beyond her limits. Jesse Plemons delivers the best performance of his career. Although we sympathize with his character as a pawn in a larger game, we also come to understand his frustration and madness as the story unfolds. There’s a tense scene in which she breaks free and nearly kills him, delivering the line, “You’re dumb, and I’m smart. Life’s unfair.” kind of playing into the social uprising theme but Ultimately, it’s revealed that he was right all along; she indeed is an alien, and their actions will lead to the destruction of mankind.
