• Director: Yorgos Lanthimos
• Screenplay: Will Tracy
• Cast: Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Aidan Delbis
• Cinematography: Robbie Ryan
• Editing: Yorgos Mavropsaridis
• Score: Jerskin Fendrix
• Genre: Absurdist black comedy thriller
• Runtime: 118 minutes

Two men, Teddy (Jesse Plemons) and his cousin Don (Aidan Delbis), hatch a plan to kidnap the CEO of a pharmaceutical corporation, believing she is an alien from the Andromeda galaxy. Yes, really. Said CEO, Michelle (Emma Stone), initially puts up a fight but luck is not on her side. Taking her back to their house, the guys buzz her hair off and slather her in antihistamine cream to stop her beaming a distress signal to her mothership. They’ve thought this through, haven’t they? In this getup, Michelle does indeed look like an extraterrestrial; bald-headed and pasty-skinned.

It shows you how deep down the rabbit hole these men have fallen. They may as well be in Wonderland. Reaching the apex of delusion, they’ve gone so far as to chemically castrate themselves to block out ‘psychic compulsions’. Teddy is the brains of the operation, if you could recognise any intelligence in him whatsoever. Don, who is intellectually disabled, is coerced every step of the way by his cousin; the latter has total control of the situation.

According to Teddy, the aliens are responsible for the dwindling number of bees (he’s an apiarist) and that they’re trying to wipe out human life by eradicating our food supply.

Though billed as a black comedy, there’s an undercurrent of ghastliness one cannot get past. The pair shackle Michelle in their basement; she has no escape from their lunacy. Teddy slaps her and electrocutes her. This is torture. Interestingly, ‘Bugonia‘ is the gender-swapped remake of the South Korean film ‘Save the Green Planet!‘ and by making our CEO a female adds to the imbalance of the sexes. Here we have a once powerful woman who’s graced the covers of Time and Vogue now chained up in a some greasy-haired guy’s cellar.

It speaks to the larger problem facing society – the class war. While Teddy is a blue-collar worker toiling away, Michelle’s existence is one of privilege. The idea that endangering people in positions of power can help to address the divide between economic factions is reminiscent of the recent death of a certain health insurance executive. The men are convinced that they’re the little guys, being screwed over by big businesses. Powerless and hopeless in the face of something bigger than they will ever amount to.

Without saying too much, the last ten minutes are pivotal. The overarching environmental message is reinforced by an indelible sequence that necessitates action on our part, us humans.

My rating: 9 / 10