Yorgos Lanthimos
Bugonia

Bugonia is an episode from Virgil’s Georgics in which the ancient belief that new life can spontaneously generate from dead bodies is illustrated. Specifically, in Georgics IV, 528-558, the episode in which a swarm of bees arises from the carcass of a dead ox is recounted.

Setting aside certain excesses that are often disturbingly provocative, and putting his undeniable visual talent at the service of the thematic core of the story, the already celebrated and highly awarded Yorgos Lanthimos crafts a film that is more balanced and, if you will, more "traditional" than his previous works. And although he does not lose his fierce satirical edge nor forgo moments of grand guignol, he focuses more on substance than on form.

What is the main theme? Essentially, it is about conspiracy theories with an archaeo-anthropological slant, wherein the human species and the civilizations it has created are the result of extraterrestrial contamination/colonization.

But one should not think this is a film about conspiracy theories or conspiracy theorists. Though these are depicted in all their full and controversial nature, for Lanthimos they are but a means to tell us something less polemical and more philosophical. They are a transversal route to make us reflect on issues that concern everyone, issues that conspiracy theories have merely radicalized—sometimes too emotionally—without lessening their importance.

The film’s opening is an environmental and biological introduction about the crucial role of bees in the overall ecosystem. The story then stages the plan of two cousins to kidnap the president—and mind—behind a major chemical-pharmaceutical multinational engaged in advanced research. The two are very close emotionally, but very different. One is cultured, self-aware, educated, clear-headed, even though he thinks and acts on the edge of a highly amplified media-driven paranoia; the other is naive, simple, submissive. Two workers and beekeepers living in a rather isolated country house, who have come over time to be convinced of the alien nature of the woman (an Andromedan).

The kidnapping succeeds, but the interaction between captors and captive does not seem to lead to any kind of compromise. Amid various incidents that endanger the plan and the dialectical duel between the more educated cousin and the supposed alien, unexpected truths will ultimately be revealed, calling into question every possible conjecture or expectation of the viewer.

Bugonia is an astonishing film. Besides being Lanthimos’ work I have loved the most so far, it has such density and dynamic force that it leaves you glued to the screen and—after the incredible apocalyptic finale—leaves lasting and searing traces. It underscores that, after all, some conspiracy theorists are probably right, though they almost always take the wrong approach in the debate and are—paradoxically—negatively affected by the massive and constant disparaging actions of the anti-conspiracy crowd. This is made clear for much of the film, only to reestablish a balance of possible truths that many surely will not accept.

One thing is certain: anyone who sees Bugonia cannot remain indifferent and not take sides, or at least position themselves somewhere within the sociological conflict that has grown steadily thanks to media and the internet. Although skepticism has existed among humans since the dawn of time (whether in science or theology), nowadays it has become a dividing line that fuels forms of cultural conflict even more heated than political or sports rivalries. The staging by the Greek director is unequivocal both in its pure depiction and in its metaphorical and allegorical representation. Supported by a clean and comprehensible narrative, by sharp and luminous cinematography, by settings perfectly functional to the story, as well as by truly extraordinary performances (Emma Stone and the duo Jsse Plemons and Aidan Delbis), the film captivates without overwhelming for four-fifths of its duration, then amazes in a justly fairytale-like fashion in the revelatory finale.

Even though it is, in fact, a remake of the South Korean film Jigureul jikyeora! there is no comparison between the production Lanthimos has brought to life and Jang Joon-hwan’s earlier version. Two very different things, with a level of stratification and involvement that cannot be compared. Bugonia is a masterpiece, deservedly nominated for dozens of awards worldwide and already the winner of several of them.