Bugonia (2025) is an audacious sci-fi black comedy directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, from a screenplay by Will Tracy, serving as an English-language remake of the South Korean cult classic Save the Green Planet!. The story follows Teddy (Jesse Plemons), a conspiracy-obsessed beekeeper who becomes convinced that powerful corporate CEO Michelle Fuller (Emma Stone) is actually an alien plotting humanity’s destruction. As Teddy and his accomplice Don (Aidan Delbis) kidnap Michelle, she finds herself immaculately composed yet intimately entangled in their ludicrous, yet darkly humorous, paranoia-driven fantasy. The tension escalates as reality and delusion blur, while Alicia Silverstone (as Sandy) and Stavros Halkias (as Casey) round out the quirky ensemble. With its sharp satire on conspiracy culture and gripping performances, Bugonia is as disturbing as it is uproarious.
The film made its world premiere in competition at the Venice International Film Festival on August 28, 2025, before heading into limited theatrical release in the U.S. and Canada on October 24, followed by a wide rollout beginning October 31. Shot across locations like High Wycombe (England) and the surreal landscapes of Milos, Greece, Bugonia blends stylized visuals, crisp dialogue, and off-kilter comedic energy to deliver a uniquely unsettling reflection on modern fears and societal fragility. Anchored by Stone’s fearless transformation (including a shaved head) and Lanthimos’s singular directorial vision, the film stands as one of 2025’s most provocative and unclassifiable cinematic experiences.
