Bugonia has all the ingredients of a great film: A top-shelf director (Yorgos Lanthimos), Oscar-level players (Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons), and a compelling premise (more on that in a minute). And in fitful moments, all that comes together in bursts of genuine humor and audacious horror. Unfortunately, Bugonia ultimately unravels with a final act that’s abrupt, frustrating, and too clever for its own good. This film’s execution never quite matches its high ambition.
Based on the Korean film, Save the Green Planet, Bugonia builds on a kick-ass idea: Conspiracy theory loon Teddy (Plemons) and his autistic cousin Donny (Aidan Delbis) kidnap a pharma CEO (Emma Stone), in the belief that she is actually a powerful alien sent to undermine humanity. Naturally, the abduction is bungled and nothing goes to plan. Tension simmers between the kidnappers, who gradually differ on whether Stone’s Michelle Fuller is really an Andromedan empress. Meanwhile, Fuller turns out to be a skilled manipulator who might be able to talk her way out of captivity.
It’s here the film peaks, as Lanthimos delivers a savvy character study that amounts to a battle of wills. Fuller’s nimble intelligence clashes with Teddy’s cagey, volatile personality, with increasingly destructive results. Poor Donny lands in the middle, as he warms to Fuller’s humanity and harbors doubt for his cousin’s wacky raison d’être. When Bugonia leans into the crackling intensity of these claustrophobic encounters, the film is both exciting and blisteringly funny.
That makes it too bad the filmmakers can’t sustain that energy all the way. In its final scenes, Lanthimos and company serve up a startling twist. (To be fair, it’s also in the original Korean film.) It undermines the entire film. My challenge is to explain why without spoiling anything. Here we go: The twist itself isn’t the problem, only how it’s presented. Bugonia‘s story takes a sharp turn, and it feels extremely rushed. Lanthimos outruns his audience, blunting the film’s emotional impact in the process. This switcheroo should’ve either been worked in earlier or not at all. As it is, Bugonia’‘s denouement feels hollow, overly precious, and written. Put another way: The vibe lines up with M. Night Shyamalan’s gotcha style of movie endings, and that’s not a compliment.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that your enjoyment of Bugonia completely hinges on how you handle this hanging curveball. As with every other Bruce-Willis-is-Dead twist, this ending changes viewer perception of everything before it. When done correctly, these shockers can make you immediately want to start the movie over and look for clues. (See also: Strikes Back, Empire) In this case, I suspect viewers who enjoyed the lean, ferocious dynamic of the kidnap scenes will walk away disappointed.
That’s a shame, because Bugonia still offers a lot to enjoy. All three leads are excellent. Stone brings an urgent efficiency to her millionaire taskmaster. The film has a lot of fun with her admonishing employees to go home at 5:00 and have a life. Unless, of course, they have work to do. Then they should stay. In fact, it’s probably better if they do. Plemons is perfectly suited for the tumultuous Teddy, who alternates between amiable serenity and untethered violence. Finally, Delbis stands out as the tender-hearted conspirator who eventually becomes the movie’s spiritual center.
These players also key in to the film’s poison-tipped comedy. Teddy’s delusional commitment to tin-foil helmet conspiracies is equal parts funny and cringey. (By this point, everybody probably knows somebody on social media who could descend into Teddy’s online psychosis.) The disastrous kidnapping bears resemblance to the awkward humor of the Coens’ Fargo, albeit with an apocalyptic slant. Toss in the Heaven’s Gate manifesto and an episode of The Twilight Zone, and you’ve got this movie.
On paper, that probably sounds like it can’t miss. And for 100 minutes, Bugonia damn near closes out the bullseye. It’s eccentric and fearless in all the right ways. Unfortunately, they don’t hand out awards for 2/3 of a great movie. Bugonia has all the potential in the world, right up until it lands on its face.
118 min. R. Peacock.
