Bugonia Movie Review: Yorgos Lanthimos Delivers a Disturbing Dystopian Comedy

Yorgos Lanthimos, a director synonymous with discomfort and existential unease, returns in 2025 with Bugonia—a film that lands somewhere between a pitch-black comedy and a dystopian nightmare. The movie, now streaming on Peacock and available on VOD platforms, reunites Lanthimos with his frequent collaborator Emma Stone, alongside Jesse Plemons and Aidan Delbis, in a story that feels both timely and timeless in its bleakness.

At its core, Bugonia is a remake of Jang Joon-hwan’s 2003 South Korean cult favorite Save the Green Planet!. But Lanthimos filters the story through his unique lens: one that magnifies humanity’s most grotesque anxieties and obsessions. The result is a film that doesn’t just satirize our era—it embodies its paranoia and despair.

The plot follows Teddy Gatz (Plemons), a conspiracy theorist whose life revolves around his bee colonies and a growing suspicion that aliens are plotting humanity’s demise. Teddy’s world is defined by loss: a clinical trial led by the ruthless Michelle Fuller (Stone), CEO of the pharmaceutical giant Auxolith, has left his mother in a coma. Convinced that Michelle is an extraterrestrial agent, Teddy enlists his autistic cousin Don (Delbis) in a mission to expose her. Their plan quickly escalates from oddball investigation to full-blown abduction, with Michelle subjected to a bizarre, humiliating ordeal that includes head-shaving and anti-itch cream, all in the name of blocking her supposed alien communications.

Stone’s performance as Michelle is steely and unyielding, matching Plemons’ sweaty, obsessive Teddy note for note. The chemistry between them is electric—if not always pleasant to watch. The film strips Michelle of her corporate armor and places her in a battle of wits (and survival) against Teddy’s delusions. The audience is left to wonder: Is Teddy simply unhinged, or is there more to Michelle than meets the eye? Lanthimos toys with this uncertainty, layering the narrative with enough ambiguity to keep viewers second-guessing until the film’s closing frames.

The supporting cast, including Alicia Silverstone as Teddy’s comatose mother and Aidan Delbis as Don, add texture to the story’s bleak landscape. Don, in particular, provides a rare sliver of empathy—a thread of humanity that feels almost out of place in Lanthimos’ universe of grotesque characters. The film’s tone oscillates between sardonic comedy and outright horror, with scenes of torture set to classic Green Day tracks, a discordant score, and visual compositions that are as striking as they are unsettling. Seattle Times staffers noted the film’s “squirm-inducing” atmosphere and praised its “pure compositional genius.”

Bugonia is not a film for the faint of heart. It’s a cinematic exercise in discomfort, confronting viewers with violence, humiliation, and the extremities of human belief. Lanthimos pulls no punches: his characters are neither likable nor sympathetic, and the world they inhabit is devoid of hope. The director’s vision is unapologetically grim, a reflection of the “depressingly au courant” state of real-world conspiracy theories and alienation. As Decider notes, the movie channels the spirit of other 2025 releases like Ari Aster’s Eddington and Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another—all films that grapple with the darkness of contemporary life.

The central metaphor of bees—creatures systematically destroyed by industry and possibly by aliens—echoes the broader theme of ecological and social collapse. Teddy’s obsession with preserving his hives becomes a stand-in for his desperate desire to find meaning and control in a world that feels increasingly hostile and incomprehensible. The narrative, while occasionally veering into absurdity, never loses its bite; Lanthimos’ direction ensures that every joke lands with an uncomfortable edge, every twist with a jolt of existential dread.

Throughout, Stone and Plemons deliver performances that anchor the chaos. Stone, in her fourth collaboration with Lanthimos (including her Oscar-winning turn in Poor Things), brings both vulnerability and menace to Michelle. Plemons, meanwhile, embodies the modern conspiracy theorist—equal parts pathetic and terrifying. Their dynamic is a masterclass in psychological tension.

Despite its relentless bleakness, Bugonia is a film that rewards the attentive viewer. Its dark humor is razor-sharp, its social commentary unflinching. Lanthimos’ artistry lies in his ability to make audiences laugh and squirm in equal measure, often in the same scene. As US Magazine points out, the film’s ambiguous ending leaves just enough room for doubt: is Teddy’s worldview delusional, or is Michelle truly not what she seems?

For those willing to engage with its challenging themes and abrasive style, Bugonia stands as one of the year’s most distinctive cinematic experiences. It’s a film that refuses easy answers, demanding viewers confront the absurdities and horrors of modern existence head-on. Whether you find it hilarious or harrowing, Lanthimos ensures you won’t soon forget it.

In the end, Bugonia is less a warning than a dare—a provocation for audiences to reckon with the darkness both on screen and within themselves. Lanthimos may not offer redemption, but he does offer a mirror, cracked and unflinching. Sometimes, facing that reflection is the most unsettling experience of all.

Sources: Seattle Times, Decider, US Magazine