Since they first collaborated on period piece The Favourite in 2018, director Yorgos Lanthimos and actor Emma Stone have had a fruitful working relationship which led to the latter’s Best Actress win at the Oscars for fantastical comedy Poor Things. They have come together again for their fourth feature with satirical thriller, Bugonia.
An English-language remake of South Korean sci-fi Save the Green Planet! from 2003, the plot follows conspiracy theorist cousins Teddy (Jesse Plemons) and Don (Aidan Delbis) who kidnap ‘big pharma’ CEO Michelle Fuller (Emma Stone), convinced that she is an alien sent to destroy the planet. Tying her up in their basement and shaving her head, they begin torturing her in pursuit of the truth.
Since the early work in his native Greek language, the acclaimed filmography of Lanthimos is definable by the screenwriters he’s paired with. From the deadpan delivery of Efthymis Filippou’s dialogue to Tony McNamara’s idiosyncratic sense of humour, the director’s aesthetic has evolved with different writing styles. This time around, the screenplay comes from former editor-in-chief of The Onion, Will Tracy – known for his ‘eat the rich’ infused scripts in The Menu or HBO’s series Succession.
Wielding his pen like a razor-sharp sword of satire, he explores themes of anti-capitalism and disillusionment with the fractured state of our society. Perhaps less stylised than his previous works, the design of the film is still distinctively Lanthimosian; largely unravelling within the cluttered cellar of a deeply disturbed individual, the grimy sheen of cinematographer Robbie Ryan’s innovative lens plays into Michelle’s claustrophobic torment. As dark as the narrative gets, it never loses sight of the comic edge and maintains a compelling tone of heightened mystery where you’re never quite sure who to believe.
It’s evident that Emma Stone is always aligned with the director’s vision – the pair appear to have developed a shorthand and she gives another dedicated and uninhibited performance as Michelle. Her locks savagely shorn from the opening act, the naked look is emblematic of the candid, stripped back acting. She is held captive but always powerful and manipulative, trying to gain the upper hand with her kidnappers. Teddy and Don are brilliantly portrayed by Plemons and newcomer Delbis who more than holds his own in the presence of two of the very best actors around.
His third film in three years, the tales of the absurdist auteur Yorgos Lanthimos are coming thick and fast and as strange and beguiling as it is, Bugonia might be his most accessible film to date. After a mixed-bag misstep with Kinds of Kindness, this is a glorious return to form alongside his partner-in-crime Emma Stone, and Will Tracy, an exciting writing voice that appears to have despicably delightful harmony with the madcap director.
Cinema Perspective 