Bugonia examines the mind of a conspiracy theorist from every angle

The number of perspectives on the psychology of conspiracy theorists almost rivals the number of conspiracy theories themselves. Some people say that others use conspiracies to explain their own lack of success. Another perspective is that they are weaponized to discredit influential people, whether they have any merit or not. Still, some say conspiracy theorists are onto something, given the extreme power and wealth a very small group of people hold. But what if all their deep diving, research and hypothesizing are meant to cover up deep-seated pain? Bugonia, Yorgos Lanthimos’s latest satire adapted from the 2003 Korean film Save the Green Planet, entertains each of these perspectives through the frame of a high-profile kidnapping.

Cousins Teddy (Jesse Plemons) and Don (Aidan Delbis) hatch a plan to kidnap Michelle (Emma Stone), the CEO of a biotech company named Auxolith Biomedical. While some would assume it is to make her confess to environmental harm or experimenting on human beings, their reasoning is a little simpler: they believe that she is an alien. Their number one goal is to coerce a confession out of Michelle. She strongly resists, instead telling them that because of her position and celebrity, a large cohort of law enforcement will be looking for her. As their conversations and her attempts to escape persists, the tone of the film becomes steadily darker. Eventually, Lanthimos reveals more about Teddy’s persistence and where the root of his pain may be.

Though committed to their mission, neither Teddy nor Don strike immediate fear into Michelle. Early in the film, they do calisthenics as part of their training, only to get thoroughly beat up as they try to abduct her. While they eventually subdue Michelle, it makes for a more humorous sequence than a military-trained, physically imposing villain kidnapping her with force and precision. The verbal sparring that ensues while she is chained up in their basement call into question whether they will ever outwit her, but also goes to show that there is no amount of evidence or convincing to change the mind of a conspiracy theorist. 

Teddy is the lead and the caregiver for his mentally disabled cousin, who seems to just be going along with Teddy’s thinking. Several scenes before and after the kidnapping consist of Teddy reassuring Don that their actions are justified. Since Don has essentially been programmed to believe that Michelle is an alien, she takes her stab at manipulating him into releasing her whenever Teddy is not around. His conscience takes its toll on him as these exchanges continue, and he gets overwhelmed by the conflicting information between Teddy and Michelle. His character shows vulnerability, as he stands between the powerful person in the real world and the powerful person in the specific situation.

Michelle’s demeanor evolves from confidence to fear as the hostage situation escalates. An early scene in the movie shows her practicing self-defense, implying that she is aware due to her high profile that something like this could happen. Initially, she believes that she will scare them into letting her go by laying out the consequences. As her denials of their accusations pile up, Teddy’s anger and violence become more severe. Michelle realizes that Teddy and Don’s amateur execution of the crime made the situation appear less dire than it really is, and she is in imminent danger. 

Teddy’s motivation becomes clearer even as he loses emotional control. Much of his pain stems from how he was victimized at a young age, along with an ailing family member and providing care for his cousin. The lingering presence of the perpetrator contributes to his increasingly erratic behavior, resulting in him taking even more drastic actions than the kidnapping in the third act of the film. Despite his abhorrent behavior, these revelations humanize him before the conclusion. As with any conspiracy theorist who resorts to violence, the ending is ultimately tragic.

As with Yorgos Lanthimos’s other films, Bugonia relies on some quirky humor but develops a steadily darker tone as it progresses. The story almost feels like a more screwball version of Captain Philips or Split with the quirkiness of a Coen Brothers film. Though the ending may prompt moviegoers to feel like the overall message was undermined, Lanthimos and the stellar acting performances effectively pull the audience in for two hours and allow it to feel empathy for all parties involved.