Bugonia

Whilst it might sound strange to describe Bugonia, a film wherein two conspiracy theorist Ufologists kidnap a CEO on suspicion of her being an alien, as Yorgos Lanthimos’ most ‘accessible’ film it might just be a correct statement.

Lanthimos is rightly celebrated for his arthouse idiosyncrasies and has the awards and critical consensus to back that up and Bugonia is absolutely not a film where he suddenly ‘breaks mainstream’.

Nonetheless, there’s something about the more stripped back, relentless tension of the fundamental aspects of the thriller premise here that make this highly palatable to most audiences, whilst still containing the stinging tone of weirdness curated previously.

Left constantly on edge, constantly guessing and your allegiances constantly swinging, this is an adrenalised piece of arthouse cinema.

Sure, the obvious subtext is a little heavy handed and, perhaps, the ending is too divisive for some (there’s a possible argument that a [SLIGHT SPOILER] more Inception-like ‘hint towards but not fully reveal’ ending could have left a different debate topic afterwards) but it is striking and hard to take your eyes off.

Two absolutely towering performances from Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons anchor things here as both reveal multitudes below the surface to subtly sway your thoughts and your sympathies as the story unfolds.

Coupled with a simultaneously lovely yet haunting score and some absolutely beautiful cinematography this is top-tier filmmaking on every level.

Whilst it possibly falls short of Poor Things, The Favourite and The Lobster, it’s certainly in the discussion for Lanthimos’ best work and is another example of his seemingly boundless work rate that will surely place him among the defining Directors of our times.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️