Yorgos Lanthimos’s bizarre and absurdist conspiracy thriller Bugonia, a remake of a 2003 Korean black comedy, stars frequent collaborators Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons
Entertainmentopinion

Julianna Salinas Showbiz & TV Reporter

19:58 ET, 26 Oct 2025

Julianna is a Showbiz & TV Reporter for The Mirror US. She holds a BFA in Creative Writing and Film Studies from CUNY Brooklyn College. She started her career as an entertainment journalist as a Horror Features Writer for Collider and is also a published poet. As a Millennial, she was obsessed with all things pop culture growing up – reality TV, true crime, pop music, movies – and it shows in her reporting. Julianna was born and raised in Texas, but now lives in Brooklyn with her partner and their cat.

//i2-prod.themirror.com/article1359991.ece/ALTERNATES/s615/1_Hollywood-actress-looks-completely-unrecognizable-with-major-tranformation-for-new-project.jpg” =”(max- 508px) 508px, (max- 615px) 615px, 1023px” /i2-prod.themirror.com/article1359991.ece/ALTERNATES/s508/1_Hollywood-actress-looks-completely-unrecognizable-with-major-tranformation-for-new-project.jpg 508w, /i2-prod.themirror.com/article1359991.ece/ALTERNATES/s615/1_Hollywood-actress-looks-completely-unrecognizable-with-major-tranformation-for-new-project.jpg 615w, /i2-prod.themirror.com/article1359991.ece/ALTERNATES/s1023/1_Hollywood-actress-looks-completely-unrecognizable-with-major-tranformation-for-new-project.jpg 1023w” =”Emma Stone”

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Emma Stone shaved her head for Bugonia(Image: Focus Features)

Yorgos Lanthimos’s latest film, Bugonia, is a timely exploration of people’s distrust in the media and the shift toward independent “research” in online echo chambers that can have disastrous consequences. This film will have you questioning your own judgment and sanity until the very last frame.

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The absurdist black comedy thriller stars frequent Lanthimos collaborators Emma Stone and Jessie Plemons, who deliver phenomenal performances that will shake you to your core. It is beautifully shot in VistaVision with striking images that accompany the chaos unfolding on screen.

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Bugonia premiered at the 88th Venice Film Festival and is scheduled for theatrical release on October 31.

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READ MORE: Emma Stone reveals her ‘organs shifted’ whilst filming iconic movieREAD MORE: Emma Stone looks completely unrecognizable with major transformation for new project

Bugonia is an adaptation of the 2003 Korean sci-fi horror comedy Save the Green Planet! by Jang Joon-hwan.

//i2-prod.themirror.com/article1464579.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/4244_FP_00001jpeg.jpg” =”(max- 458px) 458px, (max- 615px) 615px, 1200px” /i2-prod.themirror.com/article1464579.ece/ALTERNATES/s458b/4244_FP_00001jpeg.jpg 458w, /i2-prod.themirror.com/article1464579.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/4244_FP_00001jpeg.jpg 615w, /i2-prod.themirror.com/article1464579.ece/ALTERNATES/s1200e/4244_FP_00001jpeg.jpg 1200w” =”Jesse Plemons”

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Jesse Plemons is perfect as Teddy

The film centers around the kidnapping of high-powered pharmaceutical CEO Michelle Fuller by conspiracy theorist Teddy Gatz and his cousin Don, who believe that she is an alien from the planet Andromedon on a mission to destroy Earth.

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Overall, Bugonia is a wild, absurdist ride that keeps the viewer on the edge of their seat, questioning their own perception and challenging their skepticism. Are we being gaslit? Is Michelle really an alien, or have Teddy and Don spent too much time on the internet?

The film is a fascinating and nihilistic exploration of conspiracy theories, corporate greed, and the complexities of grief. The commentary, however, is muddled at best, especially toward the end. Still, the film remains an effective analysis of people’s, particularly Americans’, overall distrust in official narratives and how, occasionally, conspiracies end up being based in reality rather than delusion.

//i2-prod.themirror.com/article1359992.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/0_Hollywood-actress-looks-completely-unrecognizable-with-major-tranformation-for-new-project.jpg” =”(max- 458px) 458px, (max- 615px) 615px, 1200px” /i2-prod.themirror.com/article1359992.ece/ALTERNATES/s458b/0_Hollywood-actress-looks-completely-unrecognizable-with-major-tranformation-for-new-project.jpg 458w, /i2-prod.themirror.com/article1359992.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/0_Hollywood-actress-looks-completely-unrecognizable-with-major-tranformation-for-new-project.jpg 615w, /i2-prod.themirror.com/article1359992.ece/ALTERNATES/s1200e/0_Hollywood-actress-looks-completely-unrecognizable-with-major-tranformation-for-new-project.jpg 1200w” =”Emma Stone”

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Bugonia is Emma and Yorgos’s fourth collaboration(Image: Focus Features)

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//a.pub.network/core/imgs/fslogo-green.svg” =”freestar” width=”14″ height=”14″

The acting in Bugonia is phenomenal, with the cast firing on all cylinders, especially Jesse and Emma, who shaved her head on camera for the film. Jesse delivers an intense and devastating performance as a terminally online conspiracy theorist desperately overcome by grief, while two-time Best Actress Oscar winner and Lanthimos muse Emma is perfect as the shrewd and patronizing corporate girl boss in six-inch Louboutins.

Bugonia is simultaneously bizarre and of the times. There has never been more distrust in the government and the media, especially as AI technology continues to advance and blur the lines between truth and fiction. Independent “research” in online echo chambers can and often do lead to misanthropic violence, as is the case in the movie. The question remains, where is the line between healthy skepticism and paranoia in the age of misinformation? And, will our quest for vindication be our downfall?

Bugonia hits theaters on October 31.