Bugonia: Corporate Satire or Sci-fi Thriller?
Image Credit - Rotten Tomatoes
On Saturday November 1st, I went to see the new Yorgos Lanthimos movie Bugonia. Its cast included Emma Stone as Michelle, Jesse Plemons as Jesse, and Aiden Delbis as Don. The plot follows two cousins, Teddy and Don, that plan to kidnap the CEO of a pharmaceutical company, Michelle, because Jesse believes something nefarious and otherworldly is happening in her company. He tries to torture information out of Michelle, and eventually Michelle tells Jesse she has a magical solution she will give him to wake up his mom who is comatose; she gives it to him, and he leaves her alone to save his mom. The solution is anti-freeze. Jesse returns, but to save herself, Michelle begins detailing her alien species' lore for Jesse. Michelle tells him she can get him in contact with her ship if he takes them both to her office building, and so he does. Before anything can happen, the heat from Jesse’s body activates a bomb he was wearing, and he explodes and dies. Michelle evades capture and, in a twist, calls her mothership, pictured exactly as Jesse and Don thought. It turns out she is an alien and, as her last act, she pops a bubble over a figurine Earth and everyone instantly dies.
So you may be saying to yourself, “What… ?” Me too! My immediate reaction to this movie was pure confusion and a feeling of intellectual inferiority for not getting it. Was the theme “Big pharma is bad?” Was it “Conspiracy theorists are right?” Maybe even a critique on humanity’s naturally self-destructing behaviour? Those are my guesses. I found the ending over- and underwhelming. I wish it had been executed less bluntly or even just with more explanation. I laughed when Michelle was shown to be a real alien but was disappointed with the execution. Maybe it was supposed to be absurdist and, granted, it was beautiful, but the messages it sent felt too broad and unclear.
I do think part of the allure of this movie is all the hot button topics it presses upon. Feminism as portrayed by Michelle and how it speaks to the unattainable standards set for working women spoke to me personally. The fact that the only woman able to reach the insane standards set for women is an alien creature was not an irony lost on me. The film also has a lot of comedy that feels really relevant. The movie pokes fun at corporate jargon and meaningless woke virtue signaling without being offensive. It has super interesting plot points and takes mental health, class, climate change, feminism, misinformation, Big Pharma, and so many other things into account. The acting is great, especially from Plemons, so overall it is a highly enjoyable watch. I would absolutely recommend seeing it as long as you aren’t expecting a life changing story. If you can figure out the meaning, more power to you!