Bugonia on paper sounds like your typical eat-the-rich concept movie we’ve seen before, but it’s not; Will Tracy and Yorgos Lanthimos take the concept and turn it on its head. Instead, we get a pretty mean and zany look at how far people can push each other. Bugonia also gets dark quick showcasing how fear and anger lead many to conspiracy. Sometimes the most unhinged plot can bring comfort because people really can’t be that evil right? The film led by an exceptional cast that includes Jesse Plemmons and Emma Stone is unlike anything this year.

Bugonia follows two conspiracy minded cousins who decide to kidnap a high powered CEO played by Emma Stone. Jesse Plemmons plays Teddy the mastermind behind the plan. The character of Teddy is a very complicated one that Plemmons executes well. We see a person that has clearly been disenfranchised from the lie that is capitalism. Of course, like many people today who feel let down by the system are turned to conspiracy. It’s heartbreaking to see Teddy fall down this rabbit hole to escape his past trauma. You clearly get a character that is just masking more and more until they are eventually just staring down an abyss. Plemmons’ portrayal of Teddy is an all-timer from the actor who plays with this very convoluted character. If played wrong, Teddy would just feel like a one dimensional conspiracy nut. However, Plemmons brings so much humanity and empathy to Teddy that is award worthy.

Emma Stone plays Michelle, the high powered CEO who is completely blind to what’s going on beyond her own bubble. We all know this CEO; the detached rich person blinded to the world or simply just doesn’t care. Emma plays this character so cold and calculating but yet has a bit of humanity that’ll creep out. This makes the story that much harder to watch at times when we see Teddy go a bit too far. He truly in his heart believes she is an alien and thus we see empathy be thrown out the window. The sequences of torture that Stone’s character receives leave you feeling so many mixed emotions. Emma is playing a role we haven’t seen from her I believe and it’s breathtaking at times. All of this is strengthened by cousin Don who is played by Aidan Delbis. Don is torn between both Teddy and Michelle and not sure who to believe. It’s almost like Don is meant to be us and to decide whats the right thing to do. Aidan has such an exceptional scene in the final act of the film that really shakes the whole film. It’s the incredible performance from Don that bolsters the scene that ends up rattling the whole film.

The juxtaposition between both characters perspective is wild to see and really sets up the stage for the film. You see Michelle’s lavish lifestyle and Teddy with Don struggling to make it day by day. There clearly is a disconnection between both worlds and it almost feels like they are living on different planets. It puts into perspective just how much of a gap there is between the rich and the poor and if we’re really the same? This, of course, is the alienation between classes which just further cements the idea that Michelle is an alien to Teddy. Bugonia might be Lanthimos’ most contained film but the flair behind the camera is still brilliant. It doesn’t flinch away from the violence which leaves you to reckon with it. Bugonia‘s story is as timely as when the original film, Save The Green Planet, came out. We are living in wild and unprecedented times of corporate greed and government complacency. The last couple of years, conspiracy and bias have overtaken the truth. There’s been a clear divide between various sides that seems to only be widening. While all that happens we have a planet that clearly is screaming out for help, but we’re letting the details blind us from the whole picture.

I truly recommend checking out Bugonia if you’re a fan of Lanthimos, Stone, and Plemmons. The performances from the whole cast is intense and a feat to see. It’s definitely a hard watch at times due to its themes but such a poignant piece. It goes to some very violent extremes I will say which could be triggering as well. Bugonia is clearly more of an exclamation point to all the problems we’re facing as a society. It’s also my favorite film of the year so far.

Bugonia‘s story from Will Tracy is such a wild turn from the original film but the essence is still there. A film about the growing divide in class we see on this planet and who really is destroying the planet. The anger, pain, and fear that stems from the failed systems which drives many to conspiracy. There’s so much that Bugonia tries to tap into with its two hour run time. Lanthimos and Tracy take the film to its most cynical conclusion by the end which will have many people talking. It’s clear this is a movie that needs discussion because it might just save the green planet.