Bugonia Review – Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone Dive Deeper Into the Absurd

A Return to the Absurd

With Bugonia, Yorgos Lanthimos once again delivers an exercise in beautifully controlled chaos — a film that is equal parts surreal, disturbing, and darkly funny. Reuniting with frequent collaborator Emma Stone and Kinds of Kindness co-star Jesse Plemons, Lanthimos crafts a bizarre and biting exploration of paranoia, capitalism, and connection. It’s not as cohesive or emotionally charged as Poor Things, but it’s no less fascinating.

Set in a world teetering on the edge of ecological and moral collapse, the film follows two deeply flawed men — Teddy (Jesse Plemons), a conspiracy-driven beekeeper who’s convinced that an alien threat is slowly infiltrating humanity, and his timid cousin Don (Aidan Delbis), who becomes an unwilling accomplice in Teddy’s unraveling quest for truth. Their target is Michelle Fuller (Emma Stone), the polished and pragmatic CEO of a major pharmaceutical company, who embodies everything Teddy believes has poisoned the planet.

What unfolds is a wild, darkly comic power struggle between fear, faith, and logic — a story about people desperate to find meaning in a world that no longer makes sense.

Emma Stone’s Magnetic Control

Emma Stone continues her astonishing creative streak with Lanthimos, and her performance as Michelle Fuller may be one of her most complex yet. Michelle is a master of poise and authority, exuding control even when chaos swirls around her. Yet beneath the precision and charm, Stone injects moments of emotional crack — flashes of empathy and exhaustion that make Michelle far more than a villain. She’s the calm eye in a storm of madness, holding her composure as the world — and the men around her — spiral into absurdity.

Jesse Plemons and Aidan Delbis: Chaos and Co-Dependency

Jesse Plemons, as Teddy, steals every scene he’s in with his uncanny ability to make delusion feel almost rational. He’s manic but methodical, deeply unhinged yet weirdly charismatic — the kind of character only Plemons could make both terrifying and sympathetic. His offbeat delivery and physical stillness turn every line into a slow-motion detonation.

Aidan Delbis, making his acting debut as Don, holds his own impressively. Don is a follower — unsure, insecure, and easily manipulated — yet his presence adds surprising warmth to the film. There’s a tragic humor in watching him cling to Teddy’s convictions out of loyalty rather than belief, serving as a stand-in for how easily ordinary people get swept into dangerous ideologies.

Together, Teddy and Don are tragicomic reflections of humanity’s need for purpose. They’re ridiculous, frightening, and occasionally heartbreakingly real.

A Visual and Sonic Fever Dream

Visually, Bugonia is stunning. Cinematographer Robbie Ryan, whose collaborations with Lanthimos are becoming the stuff of legend, turns each frame into a sensory experience. Low-light close-ups and stark compositions make the characters feel trapped in their own obsessions, while bursts of color — neon yellows, deep reds, and sterile whites — mirror the tension between nature and artificiality.

The film shifts tone effortlessly: one moment it’s absurdly funny, the next it’s deeply unsettling. The score helps bridge those extremes, combining haunting industrial pulses with moments of eerie silence. Sound is weaponized here — the faint hum of bees, the buzz of fluorescent lights — creating a constant sense of unease even in moments of calm.

The Lanthimos Effect

As with The Favourite, Poor Things, and Kinds of Kindness, Lanthimos continues to dissect the absurd rituals of human behavior. Here, he takes aim at belief systems, corporate manipulation, and how easily people surrender to extremism in search of meaning. It’s not always coherent — Bugonia can feel overwhelming, intentionally alienating, and occasionally too pleased with its own oddness — but even when it frustrates, it fascinates.

The film’s second half drifts into psychological horror, mixing surreal imagery with deadpan humor in ways only Lanthimos could pull off. There’s method in the madness, and beneath the grotesque absurdity lies a clear message: the things we fear most often come from within.

Final Verdict: Madness, Meaning, and Mastery

Bugonia isn’t a film for everyone — and that’s what makes it special. It’s a cerebral fever dream that thrives on discomfort and dares you to interpret it. Emma Stone delivers a commanding performance as a woman forced to defend logic against lunacy, while Jesse Plemons and Aidan Delbis bring unforgettable energy to a story about how belief can destroy as easily as it can unite.

It’s messy, mesmerizing, and unmistakably Yorgos Lanthimos — a film that burrows under your skin and stays there.