SPOILER-FREE PLOT SUMMARY
When cousins Teddy and Don (played by Jesse Plemons and Aidan Delbis, respectively) are left alone caring for their hospitalized comatose mother, they embrace a conspiracy theory that suggests certain people are actually aliens sent to Earth to control the human race. Through their research, Auxolith CEO Michelle Fuller (Emma Stone) is an Andromedan alien who, they believe, has the power to bring them to her spaceship on the night of the lunar eclipse. After a trying day at work, Fuller arrives home only to be kidnapped by the cousins and taken to their isolated house. Imprisoned in their basement, Fuller’s experience as a CEO and her degree in psychology helps her show incredible poise in the helpless situation. She maintains her innocence (of course) until she tries admitting that she’s an alien as a negotiating tactic. Teddy doesn’t buy it and begins to torture her, “discovering” that she is, indeed, an alien based on the results.
SPOILER-FREE REVIEW
Like Martin Scorsese teaming up with Leonardo DiCaprio, Tim Burton with Helena Bonham Carter and Ryan Coogler with Michael B. Jordan, the directing/acting team of Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone has crossed into legendary status here. She exudes authenticity, clout and fear all while maintaining a sense of humor that’s somehow believable despite the circumstances.
Not to be outdone, Plemons is incredible as well. He was chilling in CIVIL WAR and ominous in KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON but, here, he turns a conspiracy theorist into a borderline likable character. The audience may not be rooting for him but they certainly sympathize with a misguided soul who clearly means well.
More than Stone and Plemons’ performances, however, the idea of taking a conspiracy theory and playing it out in a seemingly realistic fashion is a pretty fun flight of fancy. BUGONIA does that in spades. Not much can be said in that regard without spoiling the film but, suffice it to say, it’s a fun ride that continues to convince audiences that they know the truth all the way up until the very end.
BUGONIA would actually score higher if it weren’t for the final scenes. I know it’s funny throughout but, in the final minutes, it turns from a comedy into a farce… and not in a good way. In a conscious attempt to not spoil anything — which is essential to fully enjoy this movie, by the way — I’ll just say that, had Lanthimos taken the film as-is, but ended it at a specific spot, it would easily be considered one of the year’s best. Instead, a sour taste is left in the audience’s mouth immediately before they leave the theater simply because of an extra eight minutes were left in.
JKG SCORE: 8.0
Untitled Film Project 