With Ari Aster’s fingerprints on it and with it being directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, who also teamed up with Emma Stone for the super weird, but awesome Poor Things. Bugonia was a movie that I was pretty excited to see, but it came out amongst a bunch of other things, so it took me a while to get to see it.
Where to Watch Bugonia
Bugonia was released on October 24, 2025. You can stream the film from a digital platform.
The Movie Review
I thought the trailer for this looked pretty awesome. It had a great cast with Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons in the lead, as well as a solid supporting cast, too, so I was pretty confident that this would end up being something that I liked. This is a dark comedy kind of movie, and I will be honest and say that I guessed what the twist would be the moment I saw the trailer, and I was not wrong.
Hey, even with that in my mind, Bugonia was still a fun time, and I am glad that I finally got around to watching it. The premise is that Emma Stone plays the role of a big-time CEO called Michelle, who is kidnapped by Jesse Plemons’ Teddy Gatz. On the surface, Teddy is freaking nuts, a real conspiracy nut, and boy does he have a conspiracy for us here.
Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons Shine in Bugonia
This is not a random kidnapping where Teddy is looking to extort money or something like that. You see, Teddy (along with his cousin, Don) believes that Michelle is actually an alien, part of a race called Andromedans who are secretly ruling Earth and causing misery for people like Teddy. Also, Teddy’s mom was part of a trial for a drug that Michelle’s company made, and it put her in a coma.
Teddy shaves Michelle’s head and covers her in this weird cream to stop her from being able to call in for help. Teddy interrogates Michelle, and he wants her to arrange a meeting for him and the alien who is in charge of the Andromedans. From what I have seen, Emma Stone is getting most of the press and credit for this movie, and she is great. However, I think that Jesse Plemons is the one who steals the show here. I am a huge fan of his, and his performance here is amazing.
Is Bugonia Worth Watching?
There is a lot of tension in the movie, and I think that it does a good job of making you wonder if Teddy is just nuts or if there is something here in regards to his conspiracy theory. I will say that I do think the ending was a bit predictable if I am being honest, but it was still a fun ride as we got there, and there were a couple of moments that made me second-guess my thoughts on what was really happening here.
Final Thoughts on Bugonia and Its Sci-Fi Roots
While I do not think that Bugonia is anywhere near as weird as Poor Things, it is still pretty odd and is probably going to be something that either clicks with you or does not. I had a fun time with this, but I am not sure, due to knowing how it ends, I would be in a rush to watch it again. Still, it has got me interested in checking out the South Korean movie, Save the Green Planet, which Bungonia is a remake of.
