Greek auteur Yorgos Lanthimos has returned to the Venice Competition with his latest offering, Bugonia, once again joined in creative chaos by his dubious partner in crime, Emma Stone. Because when it comes to artistic partnerships, why not choose someone who looks mildly horrified by your vision?
Their last outrageous collaboration, Poor Things, an adaptation of Alasdair Gray’s novel, didn’t just win the Golden Lion—but it also snagged four Oscars and two Golden Globes. Apparently, the universe has a soft spot for delightful absurdity. We wonder how many more hardware pieces they’ll be collecting this time around.
“Working with Yorgos is like attending a dinner party where everyone might be a little deranged, and yet you leave feeling utterly enlightened,” Stone quipped, commenting on the joy of collaborating with an individual who seems to find the oddest characters the most relatable.
And no, it’s not just the coffee that was strong—she continued, “With the exception of Will, we’ve all had our neuroses explored together. It’s like therapy, but with more existential dread and far fewer snacks.” They might as well be an artistic family, albeit one that thrives on collective dysfunction.
Bugonia, according to Stone, is a kaleidoscopic reflection of our current global crisis—“a captivating blend of humor and horror that could only emerge from a world spiraling out of control.” In other words, just another Tuesday for the rest of us living on this fragile planet.
An English-language remake of Save the Green Planet!, the film follows some conspiracy-driven young men who kidnap a CEO, believing she’s an alien determined to unmake Earth. As if corporate greed wasn’t already extraterrestrial in nature, right?
Lanthimos insists this isn’t a dystopian tale—more like an alarmingly lucid commentary on our reality. “Humanity has a reckoning ahead,” he stated. “Choose wisely, or we might end up venturing into oblivion faster than you can say ‘climate change.’” Makes you want to invest in a bunker, doesn’t it?
Co-starring the ever-quirky Jesse Plemons and other recognizable faces, Bugonia is destined to perplex audiences and possibly win over most of the existentially confused. Produced by a motley crew of creatives including Emma Stone herself, the film is set to hit theaters on October 24 for a limited run—perhaps long enough for folks to ponder if they’re indeed witnessing cinematic genius or just an elaborate excuse to indulge in dark humor.
