Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Bugonia,” produced by A24, was released in theaters in October. The film follows crazed Midwestern conspiracy theorist Teddy Gatz (Jessie Plemons) and his brother Don (Aidan Delbis) as they capture billionaire CEO Michelle Fuller (Emma Stone), believing she is part of an alien species that has infiltrated the human race, à la “They Live” (1988).
I think many people have come to view Lanthimos, and other directors around his age (Ari Aster, Robert Eggers, etc.), who typically have their films produced by A24, as a sort of “new batch” of directors since A24 appears to have monetized, if not monopolized, the “art-house” film. Within the art-house film, there almost seems to be a checklist of elements that must be included in order to give, at the very least, a veneer of artistic vision. This includes, but is not limited to, the unnecessary trucking shot, the medium shot with lots of negative space (for no reason) and a near-populist thematic simplicity.
However, in “Bugonia,” Lanthimos crafts a film of his own, complete with a nauseating visual style that complements the complex theme the film weaves, only ever grazed by what almost seems like an obligation to include certain shots to maintain the aforementioned art-house feel. Besides good filmography, Lanthimos crafts an extremely strong and ever topical theme within the film through an analysis of human alienation and estrangement.
Both main characters, Michelle and Teddy, exist on opposite sides of this somewhat modern phenomenon of alienation and both have become far removed from anything considered human normalcy: Michelle due to her opulence and Teddy because of his squalor. Both characters are manipulative, selfish, willing to crush others in pursuit of their goals and get lost in their mad campaigns. It does seem to be the case, however, that Michelle’s actions — including putting Teddy’s mother in a coma as a result of her company’s experimental drug testing — caused the eventual spiraling events of the film. In fact, a close analysis of Michelle’s character reveals that she is not much less insane than the rabid conspiracist who kidnaps her.
Michelle lives alone in a massive house, ruling her business with a sociopathic iron fist with only a cruel facade of humility. She uses the strange dialect we know as corporate jargon as her main form of communication to coworkers, journalists and even the people who capture her in a basement, pointing a gun at her head. Clearly, Michelle has lost her original state, becoming alien to what a living being should be. Similar to Faye Dunaway’s character in “Network” (1976), Michelle has evolved to suit her corporate environment and is unrecognizable as a human. Teddy has also reached a form of insanity in a different kind, spiraling into conspiratorial rabbit holes and anger out of bereavement. Viewing the film from a third-person perspective, it is ultimately difficult to judge which of the two main characters has gone more insane.
In the modern age, alienation is not a rare phenomenon. What people seek more than anything else is vindication from others and themselves, to stand above a crowd, to look down and see heads beneath their feet. This can look like immense capital, or a wayward conception of political and moral truth that an individual can use to estrange themselves from the whole. Yet an abstraction from original life and purpose seems counterintuitive to any goal of happiness or well-being.
A similar thing can happen to a medium like film, where, like the worst A24 movies, obsessive greed and artistic egoism can drive the medium away from (what I think is) cinema’s main purpose of entertainment and fulfillment. Yet “Bugonia” is not guilty of either egoism or pandering, it is a gripping drama with stellar performances and a digestible encompassing theme, consistently entertaining but ever provocative. “Bugonia” is living proof of the staying power of modern directors and proof that no matter how much coffee table slop A24 puts out, Lanthimos will continue to stand out with a film both topical and enthralling.
