Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
Watching the 2025 film ‘Bugonia’ makes one wonder why billionaire Mark Zuckerberg has never kidnapped, especially since jokes about him being an alien are always making the rounds. Of course the simple answer is: it’s hard to abduct a billionaire. But in the cinematic world of ‘Bugonia’, two conspiracy theorists have a rather easy time capturing a powerful CEO. The duo believes she is an alien who intends to destroy planet earth and want to establish contact with her space-ship.
Written by Will Tracy and Jang Joon-hwan, and directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, Bugonia stars Emma Stone as Michelle, the head of Auxolith, a wildly successful pharmaceutical conglomerate. Jesse Plemons plays Teddy, ironically an Auxolith employee, who plots (and comically ‘trains’) with his younger cousin Don (Aidan Delbis) to kidnap Michelle and save the planet. As the story unfolds, Michelle tries to talk her way out of captivity, keeping up a steady stream of dialogue with the two men, leaving the viewer unsure whether Teddy is just another conspiracy nut, or someone with a very personal grudge against her.
Of course the main suspense in ‘Bugonia’ seems to revolve around whether Michelle will escape unharmed. Or so you think. Michelle is introduced as a wealthy capitalist whose opening scene makes it abundantly clear that employee welfare ranks far below profits on her priority list. Right off the bat, Michelle is cocky, and not very unfazed even after she is kidnapped, confident in her clout, influence, and reach. Some viewers (or maybe many) might not even feel like rooting for her.
In-fact even Teddy keeps reminding Don that even if Michelle isn’t an alien infiltrator, she’s still an exploitative capitalist and the world would be better off without people like her. But since Teddy and Don aren’t kidnapping her for ransom money either, it’s hard to know what outcome to even root for. Thankfully, Lanthimos and team know exactly what they’re doing.
To be honest, I almost switched off Bugonia with an hour still left. The pacing is slow, and the film keeps getting stranger and more unsettling, not always in an entertaining way. The background score is dramatic in an over the top way, even in moments where something lighter might have worked better. But damn, am I glad I stuck with it, because the climactic twist completely redeems the patience the first half demands from you.
I won’t say much more about the story, because if you haven’t seen Bugonia, you really shouldn’t know anything beyond this. The film thrives on its plot, helped by a small but strong cast. Emma Stone’s Michelle is a character many actors could have played well enough. The trickier role is Jesse Plemons’ Teddy, a surprisingly articulate kidnapper who somehow blends “white trash” and “conspiracy theorist” energy perfectly, keeping you unsure about his real motives. He sure as hell doesn’t seem dumb, but you can’t be sure if he is exactly sane either. All through the film, it feels like Teddy is hiding something.
For me though, the real standout was Aidan Delbis as Teddy’s shy, autistic cousin Don. Teddy may be volatile and bossy, but Don is heartbreakingly sincere. His belief in Teddy’s alien theories is absolute, and he genuinely thinks Michelle can communicate with aliens and help make Earth a better place. Don is gentle, sweet, and oddly moving, the kind of character that quietly restores your faith in humanity. Seriously, Don’s character nearly moved me to tears in the second half in a one-on-one chat scene he has with Michelle, and that’s when Bugonia finally started to soar for me, until then, I wasn’t convinced if this film was going to be worth a watch.
The final act of Bugonia is completely unhinged, delightfully twisty, and brings the entire kidnapping saga to a satisfying close. It reminded me of 10 Cloverfield Lane, a film I loved but whose ending two of my closest friends absolutely hated. For me though, that ending was exactly what made the movie work, and the same applies to Bugonia. A lot will depend on whether viewers buy into the finale.
Watch ‘Bugonia’ on Disney/Jio Hotstar.
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