Bugonia: A Dark Comedy That Skillfully Uses Its Simple Premise to Great Effect (Blu-ray)

The Film:

Over the last few years, Oscar-nominated director Yorgos Lanthimos has given us quite a fascinating range of films that have also somewhat varied in quality. In 2018, he delivered the marvelous "The Favourite" that told of an intriguing rivalry for a queen's affections. Five years later, this was followed by "Poor Things," a strange tale of a young woman brought back to life who experiences everything anew. The very next year, he sadly dropped off a bit with "Kinds of Kindness," a misguided collection of meandering stories that ultimately didn't get anywhere. Now he returns with his latest effort, "Bugonia," where he works from a screenplay by Will Tracy that adapts the South Korean film "Save the Green Planet!" Will this be the one to renew his streak of greatness, or will it merely be another disappointing outing to go along with his last film?

"Bugonia" begins with Teddy Gatz (Jesse Plemons) and his autistic cousin Don (Aidan Delbis), a pair of conspiracy theorists, abducting Michelle Fuller (Emma Stone), the CEO of pharmaceutical company Auxolith, believing her to be part of an malevolent alien race known as the Andromedans, who they believe are causing harm to humanity. They chain her up in their basement, shave her head, and cover her in antihistamine cream to stop her from communicating with her people, with Teddy explaining that he wants to meet the Andromedan Emperor before the upcoming lunar eclipse. Michelle proclaims her innocence, but Teddy refuses to believe her, leading to rather drastic measures in an attempt to get her confession. Could Teddy possibly be right about her, or is there perhaps something else at the heart of this bizarre little situation?

Lanthimos' latest project is one that precariously dances around a single, primary question: Is she an alien? Naturally the audience wants to fall back on what would appear to be the obvious answer, fully realizing how absurd this entire situation is, but through a series of compelling head-to-head conversations between Teddy & Michelle, we become more and more open to the possibility that there might be a little more going on here than originally thought. However, even then, it's not the more complicated answer that one might think, but rather an underlying personal experience that points to a more reasonable, and more tragic, explanation.

As the battle of wills carries on, the audience is treated to two stunning performances from both two-time Oscar winner Emma Stone and Oscar nominee Jesse Plemons, who bring a marvelously strong conviction to their characters as they try to outmaneuver each other, with her trying to talk some sense into him, and him doing everything he can to extract a confession from her. What's even more intriguing is that, even though there are really only two possible answers to the over-arching question, there are still a multitude of ways that this scenario can play out, leaving us on the edge of our seats throughout, and even more so when events take some wild turns further in.

What we're left with is a wildly compelling tale whose central idea may seem a little basic, but when placed in the hands of a skilled filmmaker, a talented screenwriter, and two incredible actors, yields remarkable results. "Bugonia" is simply one of the best films of the year, one that sadly didn't get all that much attention while it was in theaters, but now that it's getting its physical release (on top of already being on digital), hopefully more people will give this wild, wacky, and wonderful film a chance.

Video/Audio:

"Bugonia" comes to Blu-ray in a 1.50:1, 1080p High Definition transfer of outstanding quality, featuring a beautifully sharp & clear picture throughout the entirety of its 118-minute runtime. Likewise, the Dolby Atmos audio track is marvelous, giving you all of the dialogue & music in excellent quality. Overall, Universal Pictures & Focus Features have done a wonderful job in both departments for the film's physical debut.

Special Features:

The Birth and the Bees: The Making of Bugonia (23 Minutes): A featurette that delves behind the scenes of the film, featuring interviews with Lanthimos, Stone, Plemons, and more.

Conclusion:

Yorgos Lanthimos' "Bugonia" takes what may seem like a deceptively simple premise and turns it into a riveting battle of wills in which the two opponents desperately try to outmaneuver each other. Featuring incredible performances from Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons, a sharp screenplay from Will Tracy, and Lanthimos' skilled direction, it's easily one of the best films of the year that's very much worth adding to your collection.

Score: 4/5

Now available on Blu-ray.

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