‘Bugonia’ Is Bizarre, But Oh, The Acting

Emma Stone tries to negotiate her way out of kidnapping as Bugonia. Photo courtesy of Focus Features.

What starts as black comedy and then tries a final story fling literally from outer space is bringing talk that Emma Stone could win her third best actress Oscar. Though she does well in a weird part in Bugonia, I’m actually cheering for a best actor nomination for her maniacal kidnapper, Jesse Plemons.

Stone plays Michelle, the magazine-cover attractive, kick-ass CEO of a pharmaceutical juggernaut, famed for her toughness and negotiating skills. Along comes Plemons as Teddy, a scruffy, determined conspiracy theorist with a grudge and an erudite answer to every question.

With his dim-witted but devoted partner Don — a disturbingly funny performance by Aidan Delbis (his role actually marks a significant step for autistic actors) — they capture Michelle in a comically brutal fast-cutting sequence, shave her bald and cover her with antihistamine cream in the belief that this will prevent her from contacting her “alien masters.”

Argue as she might, she can’t disturb Ted’s beliefs. When she tries the negotiator trick of agreeing with him, he pulls out another belief. When she endures extreme sound torture, Teddy is now convinced she is a royal blood Andromedan unable now to contact her faraway galaxy.

He has it all in his head in a captivating stream of dialogue and tight head shots between a skilled negotiator, which the captured CEO certainly is, and her resolute foe. Plemons, whether furiously riding his bike to pick up supplies or inventing new torture devices, is frightening, aggressive and comedic. Stone is captivating in this thrust and parry, but Teddy is unpredictable moment by moment and yet always clear in Plemons’ acting.

It is problematic to explain the skills, shock methods and purpose of director Yorgos Lanthimos, whose Poor Things drew applause in 2023. Here he flirts with the traditional kidnap motif and carefully inserts moments of beekeeping and comments on human nature to expand our thinking.

Or to constrict our thinking. For my money, despite his skills, he tries two flips too many to end an otherwise engrossing tale of both horror and cunning. Those extra flips pulled me out of the tension that much of the film established.

Bugonia has had its theatrical run, but is now available on many streaming platforms.

Dominique Paul Noth served for decades as film and drama critic, later senior editor for features at the Milwaukee Journal. You’ll find his blog here and here. For his Dom’s Snippets, an unusual family history and memoir, go to domnoth.substack.com.