The creative fountain that is the working relationship between Emma Stone and Yorgos Lanthimos continues to serve cinematic hydration with their fourth collaboration to date. An English-language remake of the South Korean film Save The Green Planet!, Lanthimos and Stone deliver more off-kilter thrills, dark laughs and societal observations in this environmentally, culturally minded effort. A conspiracy theorist and his cousin kidnap the high-profile CEO of a major company, convinced she is an alien intent on destroying the planet. Jesse Plemons reunites with Lanthimos and Stone, who are joined for the first time by newcomer Aidan Delbus.
A thoroughly enjoyable, thematically dark-minded and assertive piece of cinema, Bugonia reckons with socially conscious ideas while maintaining Lanthimos’ idiosyncratic eye for discomfort and satire. Seeped in paranoia and exploiting the modern need to conspire, Will Tracy's screenplay thrives when digging into the power dynamic between the two sides - one experiencing unfamiliar levels of control, and fascinating to witness as each attempts to discover where the give and take lies - as well as the systemic oppression that some thrive from while others die. With sharply written dialogue that slices away at the various thematic branches it explores, there's a self-assured and reliability to Bugonia that makes it an intelligently entertaining viewing experience that carries itself with confident footing at all times.
Lanthimos' visual prowess once again impresses with Bugonia, utilising his signature and meticulous eye to great effect. Alongside cinematographer and frequent collaborator Robbie Ryan, Lanthimos conjure a striking picture that is an aesthetic marvel to behold; between them, the pair do incredibly well in differentiating the different worlds these two characters come from - one clean and cynical, rendered by blank space and order; the other suffocatingly chaotic, claustrophobic with mess and clutter - and how each come to infect the others space. Throbbing both with tension and a humour that Jerskin Fendrix's suitable bizarre score exploits to delicious delight, Bugonia executes its tonal balancing act with a sophistication that one again certifies Lanthimos as one of the cinema's safest pair of hands.
But is that safety starting to backfire? If one thing is oddly missing in Bugonia, which you cannot say of his previous features since finding mainstream success, is the element of surprise. Playing out how anyone at all familiar with the filmmaker's previous work would anticipate, even down to the final, nihilistic moments, the thrilling surprise so fundamental in taking a Lanthimos feature from great to brilliant is not nearly as sharp here. While it is worth noting that the journey throughout is well-executed and largely entertaining, the inevitability that creeps in does mean that some are unlikely to step away from the picture having had the rug pulled out from firmly underneath them. It's no damning criticism, sure, but it does mean it may not go down as the most unforgettable experience.
Given that Stone and Plemons are two of the most talented actors working today, it will be to no one's surprise that they turn in perfectly impressive performance. Stone truly is the perfect muse for Lanthimos, a vessel to explore his outlandish thoughts due to her commitment and willingness to push boundaries; if this is not as thrillingly crafted as The Favourite, or as daringly provoking as Poor Things, it is nevertheless a brilliantly-crafted performance that solidifies Stone's as one of the most impressive contemporary filmographies. Opposite her, Plemons excels; he captures both the frazzled, desperate ambition of a man to do what he thinks is right, and the foolishness of a man without the means to achieve. While we can see him as a brainwashed man, Plemons never overplays that, sticking to his character's belief that the world will be a better place due to his actions -- delivering something devastating and amusing in rather equal measure.
Bugonia is a really solid continuation of the fruitful relationship Lanthimos and Stone have established; a thought-provoking, relevant yet entertaining examination of some of the most pressing issues in society today. If the film is somewhat lacking the thrill and surprise that usually accompanies the pair's flicks, it's never overly detrimental to your overall appreciation of the picture, representing yet another sturdy entry in the filmography of everyone involved.