Teddy (Jesse Plemons) seems like your typical crazy, paranoid conspiracy theorist. He is obsessed with the idea that an alien race called the Andromedans have come to Earth to destroy the bees and the rest of the planet, and that they have taken human form in order to blend in. Over the years he has become an expert on the subject, and with a lunar eclipse happening in just four days, it may finally be his chance to communicate with the leaders of this alien race. Teddy has taken his autistic cousin Don (Aidan Delbis) under his wing, teaching him how to survive, how to identify an Andromedan, and how to avoid their tracking and communication. He’s even convinced Don to join him in chemically castrating themselves so they can’t be seduced by the aliens.

Teddy believes he has identified one of the higher-ranking alien invaders, so he and his cousin kidnap wealthy, powerful biopharmaceutical CEO Michelle Fuller (Emma Stone), and tie her up in the basement of their remote farmhouse, in order to interrogate her. They shave hear head to prevent her from sending a telepathic distress signal to the Andromedans, and force her to cover herself daily in antiseptic cream in order to dull her powers. With the lunar eclipse quickly approaching, Teddy wants Michelle to admit to the truth, and broker a sit-down between him and her royal superiors—Teddy wants her species to withdraw from planet Earth.

During this ordeal, Michelle remains surprisingly calm, cool and collected, despite the fact that it seems like she is in an impossible situation, with no way to win. When she tries to deny that she is an Andromedan, Teddy doesn’t believe her, and when she tells Teddy what he wants to hear, he thinks she’s just pandering to him. Michelle tries to buy time as she formulates a plan. She’s also hoping those at her company figure out what happened to her and stage a rescue, but as the days go by, Teddy becomes more and more unhinged, and there doesn’t seem to be a way to reason with him. It also soon becomes clear that Michelle is not the first person Teddy has interrogated for being an Andromedan, and it doesn’t appear that things went well for his previous captives.

Bugonia was written by Will Tracy (The Menu, The Regime) and directed by Yorgos Lanthimos (Kinds of Kindness, Poor Things, The Favourite, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, The Lobster). It is based on the 2003 Korean film Save the Green Planet!. I will start off by saying that I am not really a Lanthimos fan—I generally find his films to be way too over-the-top and weird, seemingly just to be weird. Overall, this film felt slightly more grounded (until it certainly wasn’t), but that’s likely due to the fact that Lanthimos was not the film’s writer. Bugonia is darkly comedic, and sometimes quite tense. It constantly keeps the viewer guessing as to whether or not Teddy is truly crazy, or why he believes so strongly that aliens have taken over the planet. There is also this backstory that is revealed through black-and-white flashbacks of Teddy and his sick mother Sandy (Alicia Silverstone), who is receiving some sort of experimental medical treatment from Michelle’s company. These scenes also add to the unhinged nature of the character and make the viewer question Teddy as a reliable narrator—in some scenes, Sandy inexplicably appears to be floating like a balloon. The film’s unusual score by Jerskin Fendrix (Poor Things, Kinds of Kindness), which often seems to be at odds with what’s happening on screen, also adds to the unsettling and unsure tone of the film. Overall the performances are strong, not only from leads Stone and Plemons, but also from newcomer Aidan Delbis, who feels very natural.

This film didn’t change my opinions about Yorgos Lanthimos, but I think fans of his work will also enjoy this one, especially by the end when it ultimately becomes more of the really odd and strange type of work the director is known for.

Universal has released Bugonia on Limited Edition 4K SteelBook, standard 4K UHD, Blu-ray, DVD and Digital. We were sent the Blu-ray for review. The release looks and sounds great. The film is presented in a non-standard 1.50:1 aspect ratio (once again this feels like the director just trying to be different for the sake of being different). The picture looks clean and clear with an excellent level of detail and bright beautiful colors. For scenes set inside the house, the colors become a bit more washed out and have a yellowish tone, which helps add to this feeling of uneasiness as Michelle is tied up and being interrogated. The audio track provides clear dialogue, and makes nice use of the surround channel to give the film a more immersive feeling. and showcase the film’s unique score.

The Blu-ray disc comes packed in a standard HD keepcase with an embossed slipcover. The release contains an insert with a code to redeem for an HD digital copy of the film (which is Movies Anywhere compatible). The disc contains a single 23-minute behind-the-scenes featurette with the cast and crew.

What’s Included:

Film: (1:58:14)

Blu-ray:
• 1080p / Widescreen 1.50:1
• Audio: English Dolby Atmos, English DVS (Descriptive Video Service), Spanish 5.1 Dolby Audio, French 5.1 Dolby Audio
• Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French

Digital (code may not be valid after 1/31/2027):

• HD Digital Copy (Movies Anywhere compatible)

Extras:

• The Birth of the Bees: The Making of Bugonia (23:06)
  The cast and crew discuss the story/tone of the film, remaking the original Korean film, the title, assembling a familiar cast and crew, shaving Emma’s head, building the house set, the vintage camera technology used to shoot the film, the costumes, composing the score without knowing the script, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with director/producer Yorgos Lanthimos, production designer James Price, director of photography Bobbie Ryan, producer Ed Guiney, producer Andrew Lowe, hair & make-up designer Torsten Witte, costume designer Jennifer Johnson, composer Jerskin Fendrix (“Andromedan”), and stars producer Emma Stone (“Michelle”), Jesse Plemons (“Teddy”), Aiden Delbis (“Don”), Stavros Halkias (“Casey”) & Alicia Silverstone (“Sandy”).

  
  
  
  
  

Final Thoughts:

I think fans of director Yorgos Lanthimos will enjoy Bugonia, which is slightly more straightforward than some of his previous films, but still delves into the kinds of weridness his fans have grown accustomed to. It also brings together two longtime Lanthimos collaborators, Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons, who both deliver strong performances. Universal’s Blu-ray release looks and sounds great, and includes an interesting 23-minute behind-the-scenes featurette. For those curious about the movie, but maybe aren’t ready for a blind buy, the film is currently available to stream on Peacock.