- Date of Release: 31 October 2025
- Genre: Comedy, Crime, Dark, SciFi
- Language: English
- Watch On: Theatres Only
Bugonia
Introduction
The term Bugonia itself stands for an ancient myth wherein it is widely believed that bees are generated from the carcass of cows. In the new English film by the same name, you can gauge its metaphorical context in its opening scene, even as a commentary acquaints the viewers with the lives of the bees. In the scene, you see bees pollinating from a flower, a sharp contrast to the buzzing that you would witness on the rotting flesh of an animal. The contrast is even more substantial when you understand the commentary of a potential bee colony that you would find in nature versus its origin on the flesh or carcass of an animal. The subtext is simple – life can originate from the most chaotic, corrupt and decaying flesh – in this case the earth where we all live in. This, even as we are introduced to Teddy (Jesse Plemons), an individual hell-bent on saving the earth from the ‘aliens’. The latter remains a metaphor even in terms of a political or capitalist lens that is doing more harm to this earth today than ever before. In that sense, your initial sympathies are with Teddy even as his research zeroes him on his next target Michelle (Emma Stone), the CEO of a Biomedical firm whom he suspects is an alien. And the idea remains to capture and re-negotiate the freedom of humanity from her species before the lunar eclipse in the next 3 days.
Story & Screenplay
An official adaptation of the Korean film Save The Green Planet, Bugonia has a vivid imagination of its own. As opposed to the frivolous on-your-nose kind of humour that graces the original film, subtlety plays an important part here even as the basic structure remains the same. For instance, you see Michelle callously ordering a work-life balance for her staff with a catch that would invariably make them work over time. The subtext remains that of an evil corporate firm that would make their employees sit for 70 hours over 6 days, and I wonder where I have heard that before! Even the actual kidnapping incident is laced with black humour that is considerably subtle, as opposed to a lighter mounting of the same event in the original. And in each of these similar instances, the drama did boast of a unique flavour of its own.
One of the strongest aspects of the drama remains the skewed characterization that is deliberately designed to be exactly that. For instance, Teddy (whose character arc is a deconstructed spin-off of a serial killer) has a strong belief system stemming from the Marxist philosophy that allows him room to not only question the existing structure, but also retaliate in opposing it. This is a seemingly leftist political philosophy that makes him a character with an anti-establishment seed, prompting his actions to be brutal. But the skewed characterization comes in the form of his influence towards his cousin Don (Aidan Delbis), a seemingly meek individual who doesn’t hold a strong enough voice of his own. In that regard, Don remains a follow being imposed with the voice of Teddy who typically asks him to maintain his low-key personality, without interacting much. So the personality of Teddy is a dichotomy of sorts – being the very idea of a philosophy that he has dearly opposed all his life!
On the other hand, your sympathies do tend towards Michelle too, a character kidnapped just on the absurdist pretext of being an alien. While her character remains grey, you slowly are acquainted with the link between her and Teddy, stemming to a supposed experiment on Teddy’s mother who lies in coma. This particular incident widens the gap of sympathy between both these characters, while exposing the antics of capitalism in times, particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic. A similar sliver of a plot-point was experienced in Ari Aster’s Eddington (2025), that offered a similar expośe on the corporates.
One small missing link in the drama remains the emotional quotient of the protagonist Teddy, which was prevalent in the original. This could be perceived in two ways – your sympathies do not lie with the protagonist, but the creative decision inflicted here is to showcase the greed for power and corruption even more. The latter is increasingly been a part of our new world, wherein the concept of Bugonia makes even more sense. Even with respect to Teddy, you overlook his sympathies as a child when he was physically abused by his father, or even a stray inspector Casey (Stavros Halkias), who has repeatedly apologized to him. And yet, it justifies the rebellious streak of Teddy who presumably is only close to his mother, who is in a state of coma. Parallelly, the character of the mother could also be viewed as a symbolism for mother earth who is in a state of coma on the back of abuse and chaos incorporated by the capitalist firms and the Government.
The influence of Stanley Kubrick’s 2001 – A Space Oddysey (1968) cannot be discounted in this narration too – even as you get a glimpse of the evolution and fall and evolution of mankind with a trace of commentary on violence stemming to its gene from over the years. And this is also where the absurdist nature of the drama kicks in while flipping the narrative on its head. Your judgments with respect to the characters will be further skewed even as the concept of Bugonia will kick in, wherein bees are replaced by humans. The broader picture is laced in philosophy wherein the concept of evolution is linked to the destruction of the continent of Atlantis, the latter being just a proof of concept for the whole world. And when the world is freed of capitalism and politics, is when the rebirth will be fruitful – a searing message that graces the ending here!
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are conversational wherein most details are revealed through the lines, so being attentive may not be such a bad option. But even through its commentary and subtext, there is an inherent rhythm through the exchanges that also accounts for some sharp humour along the way. The BGM doesn’t overpower the narrative while only doing its bit to aide the impact and the infused humour in a few scenes. It must be noted how the notes aren’t as dramatic as found in the original film, that adds a different and distinct flavour to the narrative. The cinematography accounts wonderfully for symbolism with respect to its characters. For instance throughout the film, the character of Teddy is captured from a low angle whilst Michelle is always captured from a top angle – each of which can be interpreted as the positions of power in the broader scheme of things. This, even as the frames don’t shy away from the blood or gore in the narrative.
The editing pattern is laid back even as you get an opportunity to invest in the characters and judge them throughout the narrative. And while being devoid of fast jump cuts, the flavour and texture of the drama is retained! Director Yorgos Lanthimos delivers his most accessible film yet, without compromising on his absurdist voice that is synonymous with his filmography. It also helps that the entire narrative that is set in America, comes from an outsider’s perspective that adds layers to the narrative here, even as some pertinent issues are nicely pronounced here. But his biggest asset outside of his absurdist tone here, is his characterization, wherein characters here have overlapping layers of morality and idealism that are well controlled by the director.
Performances
The performances are wonderful by the members of the cast. Stavros Halkias as Casey has an interesting character with a skewed sense of morality, something that he plays with perfection. Aidan Delbis as Don is wonderful to witness here (he is an autistic actor himself, a trait that goes in sync with his character here). His antics and mannerisms of a meek follower are exceptional to witness, even while he is able to generate some sort of emotions with respect to his character and how it ends. Emma Stone as Michelle exudes of grace with a razor sharp sense of wit that she puts forth through her character in a wonderful manner. Likewise, Jesse Plemons as Teddy is exceptional to the core through the varied shades of his character. His degree of emotions resemble a roller coaster, something that adds a layer of unpredictability to his performance. At the same time, it is interesting to note on how your sympathies don’t extend to either of the two protagonists here – specifically representing the corrupt world that we are a part of.
Conclusion
Bugonia is an absurdist and mind-bending drama packaged in a philosophical and political grandeur that makes it almost as brilliant as the original Korean film – Save The Green Planet. Available in a theatre near you (from 31st October 2025) and Highly Recommended!