Director Yorgos Lanthimos and actress Emma Stone are on a hot streak, with three films in the last three years, resulting in a second Oscar for Stone and two nominations for Lanthimos. Defining what it means to be a muse in the 21st century, their collaboration seems to work perfectly with each artist’s sensibilities and talents. While 2023’s Poor Things was a massive hit and filled with such originality, and 2024’s Kinds of Kindness felt almost like a fever dream to me, 2025’s Bugonia perhaps needed to be a little more accessible to a broader audience, and Lanthimos achieves precisely that.

Michelle Fuller (Emma Stone), CEO of the pharmaceutical firm Auxolith, is abducted by conspiracy theorist Teddy Gatz (Jesse Plemons) and his cousin Don (Aidan Delbis). Teddy believes Michelle is an alien from the Andromeda galaxy and has persuaded Don, who has learning difficulties, to believe this too. Teddy traps Michelle in his basement, where he conducts tests on her and forces her to contact her ‘emperor’ before the lunar eclipse in three days. 

This is a textbook Lanthimos film that plays with what the audience might expect from him, most notably the concept of whether or not Michelle is actually an alien. This back-and-forth emotion you feel as the film leads you down these alleyways, only to take a hard pivot down another one. This is something that can only be achieved from a brilliant script from the co-writer of The Menu, Will Tracy, adapted from the South Korean film Save The Green Planet!. It does suffer from a confused 2nd act, in which the film doesn’t really know what it wants to do, but the third act is to die for, with shocking plot points and an incredibly satisfying ending. Not all of Lanthimos’ films have stuck the landing, but this one excels by elevating your feelings of the entire plot during the final 25 minutes.

It’s a career-best performance from Plemons, who is rarely given roles with the depth and gravitas that Teddy provides. He portrays a frantic conspiracy theorist who has done extensive research and feels alienated from society, yet at the same time, he genuinely cares for his cousin Don and firmly believes in his actions. With greasy hair and gaunt cheeks, he becomes an iconic Plemons character deserving of an Oscar nod. Stone also delivers a superb performance in this physically demanding role, a stark contrast to her portrayal of Bella Baxter in Poor Things. Having her head shaved and her body covered in cream only heightens her alien-like appearance. She is the ideal actress for this part, and her creative partnership with Lanthimos continues to produce outstanding performances from Stone.

Visually, it is stunning, with a trademark fish-eye lens that Lanthimos and cinematographer Robbie Ryan use so effectively, creating a warped atmosphere that enhances the film’s confusion. The production design of the house by Oscar-winning James Price is very effective at creating a home that feels like a woman decorated it, but now the woman has left, and it has fallen into disarray. The score is strange in places, but it is utterly enchanting by the end of the film.

It’s a quintessential Lanthimos film in every way, with a captivating story and excellent performances. I wish the second act were stronger, but it’s definitely worth watching for the story alone.