Ronit J

Bugonia (2025) Synopsis:

It all starts with something magnificent.

Two conspiracy obsessed young men kidnap the high-powered CEO of a major company, convinced that she is an alien intent on destroying planet Earth.

Bugonia (2025) Review:

If you’ve read my review for Kinds of Kindness (2024), you know how much I love Yorgos Lanthimos. Hell, Poor Things (2024) is by far one of the most unique cinematic experiences I’ve had in a very long time. That being said, my expectations for Bugonia were very high. Not only did it look weird (Lanthimos’ trademark), it also featured an absurd plot. Plus, Emma Stone & Jesse Plemons? Count me in!

However, did the movie live up to my expectations? Read and find out!

Absurd As Expected

I’m going to start off by saying that I spoiled the film for myself because I ended up reading about Save the Green Planet! (the film that Bugonia is a remake of). Knowing the ending did take away some of the shock and awe. Still, I’m happy to say that I really enjoyed Bugonia. As expected of a Yorgot Lanthimos film, Bugonia has his trademark long takes, odd framing with often distorted lenses that are accompanied with unsettling music. What I particularly loved about Bugonia are the many references to Tarkovsky films (for those of you who don’t know, Tarkovsky is my favourite filmmaker of all-time).

Bugonia follows Teddy (Jesse Plemons) and Don (Aidan Delbis), his autistic cousin. They are conspiracy theorists who believe that everything wrong with the earth is because of the Andromedans, an alien race. To get audience with the Andromedan’s emperor, they decide to kidnap Michelle Fuller (Emma Stone), who they believe to be one of these Andromedans. Is she really an alien, or are the conspiracy theorists going a little too far? You’re almost convinced that Teddy is in the wrong. His dreams of his mother further cement our understanding that he’s not all right in the head. And the uncertainty of what he’s capable of adds an uncomfortable tension to the whole film, beautifully made real by both Plemons & Stone’s performances.

As a Yorgos Lanthimos fan, I will admit that this is not his best film. And that’s especially true after having seen his last two movies, which will really raise expectations. I’ve seen all of his films (except My Best Friend & Kinetta), and have loved his work right from the moment I watched Dogtooth. While Bugonia might not match the same level as his best work, it’s still quite an impressive watch.

Some Dull Moments, But Ends On A High

Now, I don’t really have a problem with movies that do a lot of telling. Hell, that 7-minute long monologue from Turin Horse was quite impressive, as are many such long scenes of dialogue. Sadly, the long rants and soliloquies that make up for parts of Bugonia just didn’t do it for me. And I think I know why.

Teddy’s rants come off not as impressive poetry, but a degrading mind’s unintelligible garble. None of what he says impacted me much because I’ve read and heard more impressive versions of the same content. Bees are dying. Civilisation is collapsing. Tell me something new. Give me an insight I didn’t know about. Because most of what Teddy blurts has already been said multiple times across many films and TV shows in more interesting ways. His monologues neither felt poetic, nor demented; just dull. Add to that the scene’s no-music treatment and the aesthetic results in a dull presentation. I understand the stylistic choice, but a better written rant would probably have worked better. What I got instead just left me zoning out. Kind of like another conspiracy theory movie I recently reviewed.

I will admit, however, that the twist in the end with Michelle finally outsmarting Teddy in the final act made up for the dull moments. The movie really picked up from the point that the police officer visits Teddy, and the chaos that follows. I had sort of spoiled the ending for myself when I read about Save The Green Planet! so I knew what was coming. That being said, Lanthimos’ treatment of the same was beautifully weird and left me on a high note with that ending.

Bugonia (2025) Ending Explained (SPOILERS)

After Don shoots himself, Michelle manages to stumble through to a secret room where she finds evidence of multiple corpses. Teddy has been kidnapping and experimenting on several humans hoping to find an Andromedan. When Teddy rushes into the basement, Michelle confronts him, asking how many of the dead were Andromedan, to which Teddy replies ‘two’. Michelle gets very angry and intimidates Teddy. She recounts an alternate history of the earth, where the Andromedans arrived on Earth during prehistoric times.

The Andromedans were fascinated by the rich world populated by dinosaurs and plants. But, their coming also brought disease, which led to the mass extinction of dinosaurs. Regretful of the event, the Andromedans created humans in an attempt to keep the Earth alive and flourishing, but humans’ innately violent and flawed nature led to wars. She claims that she has the key to save humanity, which is on her mothership, entry to which is in her office.

Teddy drives her to her office under the pretext of getting audience with the emperor. As security, he wears a suicide-vest that he plans to detonate if Michelle tries something funny. Michelle convinces him that the portal to the mothership is in her closet. Once he’s locked inside, the vest detonates killing Teddy and knocking out Michelle. She wakes up in an ambulance, but hurriedly stumbles out and limps back to her office. She enters the closet and—

Michelle teleports to the Andromedan mothership, where her subjects welcome her as ‘Empress’. Her subjects reveal to her that ‘the human experiment’ has failed. With no more options left, she bursts a bubble surrounding the flat earth, causing the mass extinction of humans. After a long montage of locations full of many corpses, we see that the bees are returning to Teddy’s apiary.

Is Bugonia (2025) worth watching?

Yes. I don’t think this is Lanthimos’ best work yet, but it is definitely worth a watch. It had some dull moments, particularly Teddy’s rants. But overall, the film delivered exactly what it promised.

However, if Lanthimos’ film style is not your cup of tea, then Bugonia is not for you.

In Conclusion:

Bugonia (2025) by Yorgos Lanthimos is an expectedly absurd film. While it had some dull moments, I absolutely loved the weird imagery and that ending!

Also check out:

• Long Story Short Season 1 | Raphael Bob-Waksberg | Series Review
• One Battle After Another (2025) | Paul Thomas Anderson | Film Review
• Predator: Badlands (2025) | Dan Trachtenberg | Film Review
• Bullet Train (2022) | Brad Pitt | Film Review
• Wake Up Dead Man (2025) | A Knives Out Mystery | Film Review
• South Park Seasons 27 28 | Not a Review
• It Was Just An Accident (2025) | Jafar Panahi | Film Review
• No Other Choice (2025) | Park Chan-Wook | Film Review
• Island of the Dying Goddess

What did you think of Bugonia (2025)? Let me know in the comments below.

Sign up to my newsletter & get a free copy of Abandoned by the Gods. Is there any movie, show, or book you’d like me to review? Drop your recommendations in the comments below.

Until next time!