Intro: A new Yorgos Lanthimos' movie is always an event, so I had to go and see it.
Film 2418: "Bugonia" (2025), Yorgos Lanthimos
Watched: At the movies
Language: English
Watched with: Yegor
Thoughts: It was nice to go and see this movie at a different venue than my usual one, the Lighthouse. Unlike Cineworld, it meant sharing the experience with a different crowd: no one left the screening mid-show to go to the toilet and the room was quiet the whole time, everybody focused on the story, in silence. As an avid cinemagoer that values these things, it honestly made a difference. (There's nothing I hate more than people talking or laughing or coming and going to the bathroom during a movie.)
"Bugonia" is not my favourite film by Yorgos Lanthimos — I think that is still "The Lobster", yet I appreciated this new story. It's extremely well executed and tells an interesting story that conveys a green message, together with the satire of current corporate values. On top of that, it features the performances of two great actors at the top of their game: Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons are fantastic here — I imagine an Oscar nomination for both of them is definitely in the cards. Particularly, Emma Stone proves once again why she is one of the best actresses working in films today. She's brilliant in almost every role she plays (better forget about that "Aloha" movie) and here she once again delivers a career best. And it's not just because she went all in by shaving her head for real (which Natalie Portman did as well in another great movie that was a bit too overlooked in my opinion, "V for Vendetta").
I know "Bugonia" has already been called a masterpiece by critics, I'm not sure I'm there yet. I liked it, I particularly enjoyed the plot twist at the end — I mean, I'm not sure how surprising it was considering the story was pointing in the opposite way the whole time — but it isn't necessarily the kind of movie I would rewatch multiple times. It's interesting, well-written and acted, and tells a story that feels different from most things that came out this year. It reminded me a lot of Darren Aronofsky's "Mother!", for example. But, as I said, it's not my favourite (to stay close to the Lanthimos lore).
Cast: Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Aidan Delbis, Stavros Halkias, Alicia Silverstone.
Box Office: $2 million (currently)
Worth a watch?: One of the most talked-about movies of the year, one has to see it. I'm sure it's going to play a big role in the upcoming awards season, so better be ahead of the curve and watch it. It's a very peculiar film, like Lanthimos' usually are. "Bugonia" is definitely not for everybody, some may consider it too artsy or brainy, but to those who appreciate this kind of stories, it's worth watching.
Awards: In copmpetition at Cannes 2025, it won the Green Drop Award. Nominated for Best Feature at the 2025 Gotham Independent Film Award.
Key word: Bees.
Trailer
#HollywoodCiak
Bengi
Watched: At the movies
Language: English
Watched with: Yegor
Thoughts: It was nice to go and see this movie at a different venue than my usual one, the Lighthouse. Unlike Cineworld, it meant sharing the experience with a different crowd: no one left the screening mid-show to go to the toilet and the room was quiet the whole time, everybody focused on the story, in silence. As an avid cinemagoer that values these things, it honestly made a difference. (There's nothing I hate more than people talking or laughing or coming and going to the bathroom during a movie.)
"Bugonia" is not my favourite film by Yorgos Lanthimos — I think that is still "The Lobster", yet I appreciated this new story. It's extremely well executed and tells an interesting story that conveys a green message, together with the satire of current corporate values. On top of that, it features the performances of two great actors at the top of their game: Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons are fantastic here — I imagine an Oscar nomination for both of them is definitely in the cards. Particularly, Emma Stone proves once again why she is one of the best actresses working in films today. She's brilliant in almost every role she plays (better forget about that "Aloha" movie) and here she once again delivers a career best. And it's not just because she went all in by shaving her head for real (which Natalie Portman did as well in another great movie that was a bit too overlooked in my opinion, "V for Vendetta").
I know "Bugonia" has already been called a masterpiece by critics, I'm not sure I'm there yet. I liked it, I particularly enjoyed the plot twist at the end — I mean, I'm not sure how surprising it was considering the story was pointing in the opposite way the whole time — but it isn't necessarily the kind of movie I would rewatch multiple times. It's interesting, well-written and acted, and tells a story that feels different from most things that came out this year. It reminded me a lot of Darren Aronofsky's "Mother!", for example. But, as I said, it's not my favourite (to stay close to the Lanthimos lore).
Cast: Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Aidan Delbis, Stavros Halkias, Alicia Silverstone.
Box Office: $2 million (currently)
Worth a watch?: One of the most talked-about movies of the year, one has to see it. I'm sure it's going to play a big role in the upcoming awards season, so better be ahead of the curve and watch it. It's a very peculiar film, like Lanthimos' usually are. "Bugonia" is definitely not for everybody, some may consider it too artsy or brainy, but to those who appreciate this kind of stories, it's worth watching.
Awards: In copmpetition at Cannes 2025, it won the Green Drop Award. Nominated for Best Feature at the 2025 Gotham Independent Film Award.
Key word: Bees.
Trailer
#HollywoodCiak
Bengi
