What if the conspiracy theorists were right? That is the deliciously uncomfortable question at the heart of Bugonia, Yorgos Lanthimos’ darkly comic thriller about a pharmaceutical CEO kidnapped by two young men convinced she is an alien plotting to destroy the Earth.
Anchored by two ferocious performances from Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons, Bugonia is strange, funny, disturbing and impossible to shake off. It is Lanthimos at his most accessible — and, arguably, his most unsettling. Our verdict: 4 out of 5 stars.
| Director | Yorgos Lanthimos |
| Cast | Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Aidan Delbis, Stavros Halkias, Alicia Silverstone |
| Release date | 24 October 2025 (limited), 31 October 2025 (wide) |
| Runtime | 119 minutes |
| Genre | Dark comedy, sci-fi thriller |
| Rating | R |
| Studio | Focus Features |
| Rotten Tomatoes | 87% (critics), based on 343 reviews at the time of writing |
| Metacritic | 72, based on 61 critics |
| Box office | $43.8 million worldwide ($17.7 million domestic) |
What Is Bugonia About?
Michelle Fuller (Emma Stone) is the powerful CEO of Auxolith, a major pharmaceutical company. To Teddy (Jesse Plemons), a beekeeper consumed by online conspiracy theories, and his cousin Don (newcomer Aidan Delbis), she is something else entirely: an alien — one of the Andromedans — sent to destroy the planet. Convinced they are humanity’s last hope, the pair kidnap her and hold her captive in Teddy’s basement, determined to force a confession.
The film is a remake of Jang Joon-hwan’s 2003 South Korean cult classic Save the Green Planet!, adapted by Succession writer Will Tracy. The title itself nods to an ancient Greek belief that bees are born from the carcass of a dead ox — fitting for a film in which bees, beekeeping and the natural world keep buzzing through the story. What follows is a tense, blackly funny chamber piece that keeps shifting your sympathies: is Michelle a victim, a villain, or something stranger still?
What Works in Bugonia
The two leads are extraordinary. Stone, playing against the warmth of her Oscar-winning turn in Poor Things, is steely, calculating and darkly funny as Michelle — a woman who refuses to be a victim even while chained in a basement. Plemons matches her beat for beat as Teddy, a man whose sincerity makes him both pitiable and terrifying. Their scenes together crackle with a strange, combative chemistry, and the film earned four Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Actress for Stone.
Lanthimos directs with his trademark deadpan precision — static frames, stilted dialogue, sudden bursts of violence — but here the style serves a story with real urgency. The film is also a sharp satire of our moment: a world where algorithms feed paranoia, where corporate power feels untouchable, and where loneliness curdles into conspiracy. The beekeeping imagery gives the film an eerie, beautiful texture, and Jerskin Fendrix’s score keeps the tension humming.
- Stone and Plemons are at the top of their game. The Rotten Tomatoes critics’ consensus says it best: the pair are superb in a film that applies Lanthimos’ method to “modern society’s madness”.
- The tension never lets up. Even in its quietest scenes, the film keeps you guessing about who is telling the truth.
- It is genuinely funny. For all its darkness, Bugonia has a wicked sense of humour — the comedy and the horror feed each other.
- The ending is bold. Without spoiling anything, the final stretch commits fully to its wildest ideas.
What Doesn’t Work
Bugonia is not for everyone. Lanthimos’ deadpan style can feel cold, and some viewers will find the film’s deliberate pacing in its middle stretch a test of patience. The violence is graphic at times — the film is rated R for bloody content and grisly images — and the moral ambiguity that makes it fascinating may frustrate audiences who want a clear hero and villain. Those who disliked the director’s earlier work will find little here to convert them, and the film’s box office — $43.8 million worldwide against a reported $45–55 million budget — suggests its appeal stayed largely with critics and arthouse audiences.
Bugonia Verdict
Bugonia is a wild, unsettling and darkly hilarious film — a conspiracy thriller that doubles as a portrait of a paranoid age, carried by two of the best performances of the year. It is Lanthimos’ most approachable film since The Favourite, and his most provocative since Poor Things. If you like your cinema strange, smart and a little dangerous, this is essential viewing. Rating: 4/5.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Bugonia based on a true story?
No. It is a remake of the 2003 South Korean film Save the Green Planet!, adapted into English by Will Tracy.
Is Bugonia a comedy or a thriller?
Both. It is a dark comedy and a sci-fi thriller — funny and tense in equal measure, with moments of graphic violence.
Where can I watch Bugonia?
The film released in theatres in October 2025 and arrived on streaming in late November 2025, including on Peacock.
Did Bugonia earn Oscar nominations?
Yes. The film earned four Academy Award nominations at the 98th Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actress for Emma Stone.