Bugonia review: Emma Stone meets Yorgos Lanthimos’ mad genius yet again in a story that leaves you stumped!

Bugonia is a sci-fi/ thriller that acts as a reality check for all the avid conspiracy theorists out there. 

Bugonia review: Remade from a 2003 Korean film, ‘Save the Green Planet’, Bugonia still feels relevant now more than ever! We’ve all had our fair share of beliefs in conspiracy theories. Some say the Malaysian Airlines flight was abducted by aliens, some believe that time travel is a real concept and make rather convincing Youtube videos about people who have apparently lived through various generations. As a K-pop fan, I believe in a harmless conspiracy theory that Jungkook of BTS might be the re-incarnation of Princess Diana. All of the theories that I just mentioned, might bring out a laugh amongst a group of friends or max, a sassy eye roll nobody asked for. But what happens when people actually start believing in something that isn’t real a little too much, to the point where they lose their minds if you try to counter it all? That's what Bugonia delves into.

Bugonia not only gives you the answer to that, it plays out an entire scenario of how the internet can brainwash someone to the point where it leads to actual, huge consequences. Yorgos Lanthimos’ story revolves around Teddy(Jesse Plemons) and Don(Aidan Delbis), two men who strongly believe Michelle Fuller(Emma Stone), the CEO of a pharmaceutical company, is secretly an alien. Apparently her species have infiltrated Earth and are responsible for everything malicious that happens around the world lately. So they execute a plan to kidnap her, keep her tied in their basement, shave her head because they believe her species can track her location through her hair and cover her in a thick white cream everyday.

Also Read: #K-poptalks: In conversation with ONEWE about their first performance in India, their growing fanbase and what they look forward to the most here!

The story is a game of who is manipulating whom. On one hand, we have Teddy who is convinced with his theory beyond measure and a lot of his conviction comes from his traumatic past he is still hurting from. On the other hand, we have Michelle who tries to manipulate them back by using her corporate communication skills and simply just finding the right timing for when one of the two cracks and feels weak. At one point, their constant back and forth conflict also feels like a metaphor for many things like the rich vs the poor, average men trying to mansplain to an established woman or the working class trying to fight the corporate system. But there were some parts in the story that almost went above my head and just when I was about to zone out, it pulled me right back in with plot twists that slapped the mid-day blues right out of my body!

Emma Stone was a delight to watch as always. Bugonia marks her fourth collaboration with Lanthimos and clearly the two have found a rhythm at this point. In her previous film, Poor Things that won her a second Oscar, she played the beautifully flawed Bella Baxter who made us fall in love with her off-beat personality. In Bugonia, she is a cold-hearted, fearless and confident woman you cannot take your eyes off every time she comes on-screen. Jesse Plemons matches her energy with his psychoticness that just refuses to back down till the very end. The two keep you guessing who was right after all and never let you know what their next move would be!

While Bugonia isn’t an outright comedy film, it has its moments of dry humour amidst all the aggression and violence. This story isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, it’s for the sci-fi thriller enthusiasts and cinephiles who love it when CGI meets good performances; it has a larger than life background score that gives you goosebumps and a climax you can discuss in depth with your fellow movie geeks after the credits roll!

Bugonia will be playing at a theatre near you on October 31!

For more reviews, follow us on @socialketchupbinge.