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- What happens in Bugonia: kidnapping, bees and a desperate plan
- Actors and performances that anchor the film
- Major themes: capitalism, misinformation and social fracture
- Title and symbolism: bees, burial rites and the word ‘Bugonia’
- Visual approach: VistaVision, close-ups and a rare camera
- Writing, influences and Lanthimos’ cinematic arc
- Technical notes and production details
- Release timing and why the film feels timely
Yorgos Lanthimos returns with Bugonia, a darkly comic thriller that pits a grieving beekeeper against a corporate mogul he believes is an alien. The film mixes offbeat humor and paranoia to probe labor, ecology and the way people are pushed to extremes.
What happens in Bugonia: kidnapping, bees and a desperate plan
Jesse Plemons plays Teddy, a man convinced corporate leaders are extraterrestrials. He ropes in his cousin Don to abduct Emma Stone’s CEO character.
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- Teddy runs beehives and sees signs of collapse.
- He blames pollution and industry for ecological decline.
- To stop what he calls an invasion, he imprisons the CEO and shaves her head.
The film spins its premise into tense standoffs and odd bargains. Scenes in a cramped basement become the stage for a negotiation between fear and power.
Actors and performances that anchor the film
Plemons gives a greasy, volatile turn as Teddy. Emma Stone is icy and elegant as Michelle Fuller.
Young Aidan Delbis, 19, makes his feature debut as Don. The actor has said he is autistic.
- Stone shaved her head for the role.
- Plemons balances fury and vulnerability.
- Delbis provides a quieter counterpoint to Teddy’s mania.
Their chemistry and clashes drive the movie’s emotional pulse.
Major themes: capitalism, misinformation and social fracture
Bugonia operates like an experiment on modern anxiety. Lanthimos examines how economic strain and distrust breed conspiracies.
The story connects unpaid labor, environmental harm and a feeling that institutions ignore certain people.
- Corporate greed and ecological damage are central targets.
- Misinformation and isolation fuel violent responses.
- The film asks who gets heard in a broken system.
Teddy’s paranoia reads as both delusion and a logical reaction to neglect.
Title and symbolism: bees, burial rites and the word ‘Bugonia’
The title draws on an ancient belief that bees spring from a slaughtered ox. That myth informs the film’s imagery.
Beekeeping frames Teddy’s worldview. Colony collapse becomes a personal and political omen.
- Bees appear in the opening and closing shots.
- Teddy’s hives are a barometer for environmental collapse.
- The ancient ritual gives the film a mythic echo.
Visual approach: VistaVision, close-ups and a rare camera
Despite many confined interiors, the movie looks expansive. Lanthimos and cinematographer Robbie Ryan shot on VistaVision.
They tracked down a rare Wilcam 11 to record on the horizontal format. The result is clearer tones and strong depth.
Using a large-format method for intimate scenes makes confrontations feel monumental.
Writing, influences and Lanthimos’ cinematic arc
The screenplay by Will Tracy borrows elements from the 2003 South Korean film Save the Green Planet! and reshapes them for Lanthimos’ sensibility.
Audiences familiar with the director will spot thematic relatives to Dogtooth, The Favourite, Poor Things and The Killing of a Sacred Deer.
- The film keeps Lanthimos’ interest in social experiments.
- He frames archetypal characters and then complicates them.
- Dark comedy meets moral discomfort throughout.
Technical notes and production details
VistaVision’s horizontal feed delivers higher resolution than standard 35mm. That clarity serves closeups and texture.
Costume and makeup choices—like Stone’s shaved head—intensify the power dynamics on screen.
- Cinematography: Robbie Ryan.
- Screenplay: Will Tracy.
- Format: VistaVision, shot with a Wilcam 11.
Release timing and why the film feels timely
Bugonia opens nationwide on October 31. Its focus on conspiratorial thinking and environmental breakdown resonates today.
The film’s stilted, darkly comic dialogue blends unease and entertainment in ways that make it memorable.
