For Oscar-nominated filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos, human folly has always been the raw material for his sharpest experiments. After “Poor Things” turned rebirth into a grotesque act of liberation, “Bugonia” looks outward—to the hysteria, delusion, and self-mythologizing that define modern belief. Written by Will Tracy (“The Menu”) and produced by Ed Guiney, Andrew Lowe, Lanthimos, Emma Stone, Ari Aster, Lars Knudsen, Miky Lee, and Jerry Kyoungboum Ko, the film centers on two conspiracy-obsessed young men (Jesse Plemons and Aidan Delbis) who kidnap a powerful CEO (Stone) under the conviction that she’s an alien plotting the end of humankind.
At the Venice Film Festival, The Playlist described the film as “harness[ing] an underappreciated Kubrickian characteristic: his deep affection for humanity amidst their folly.” That blend of precision and compassion makes “Bugonia” feel like a continuation of Lanthimos’ lifelong study of absurd conviction—how easily devotion mutates into tyranny, and how every fanatic believes they’re saving the world.
Speaking to Vanity Fair at Telluride, Plemons called the role “the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” admitting the final act pushed him “physically and emotionally” to his limits. He recalled Lanthimos’ mantra on set—“You are not in control — the universe is”—a fitting directive for a story about surrendering reason to fear. “Teddy Gatz,” he added, “was written with a terrifying mix of conviction and grief. It’s something I’ve never experienced before.”
Also starring Stavros Halkias and Alicia Silverstone, “Bugonia” brings together Element Pictures and Square Peg in a study of modern paranoia that’s both chilling and, in Lanthimos’ hands, darkly funny. Focus Features will release the film in a special limited engagement on October 24, followed by a wide expansion on October 31.
