Bugonia Continued 1 of Modern Movies’ Greatest Eras

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It’s rare to see a director and actor consistently collaborate at a high level, but when it happens, it often creates work that defines a period in film. Think of Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro, or Christopher Nolan and Cillian Murphy – we’ve watched these partnerships grow and evolve over time. In recent years, Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone have been quietly developing a similar creative connection, and their new sci-fi comedy is the latest example of their impressive teamwork.

Coming in 2025, Bugonia isn’t just another film from this creative team—it shows how much their partnership has grown into something truly special. Based on the South Korean movie Save the Green Planet!, Bugonia currently has an 82% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but that doesn’t fully capture its appeal. With Jesse Plemons joining the team, building on their work together in Kinds of Kindness, this film is becoming more than a remake—it’s evolving into a signature brand.

Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone’s Creative Bond Has Become an Era of Its Own

Yorgos Lanthimos and this filmmaker have collaborated on five projects, including The Favourite (2018), the short film Bleat (2022), Poor Things (2023), and Kinds of Kindness (2024). Working together on five films signals a strong, established creative partnership – they’re developing a recognizable style and brand in Hollywood.

Making a film like Bugonia requires an incredible amount of trust in the actor. Stone portrays Michelle Fuller, a pharmaceutical CEO who is kidnapped and tortured, and ultimately (strongly suggested) revealed to be an Empress from the Andromeda galaxy. The role is physically and emotionally demanding, requiring Stone to spend much of the film either bound to a chair or performing with a shaved head.

Their dramatic physical changes became a symbol of how closely they worked together. Showing just how committed they were to each other, Emma Stone apparently only agreed to a particular scene if Yorgos Lanthimos shaved his head along with her – and he did. Stone actually shaved the director’s head herself right before filming began.

The scene where Teddy shaves Emma Stone’s head in one continuous shot is powerful because Stone felt completely safe and at ease during such a personal moment. She described the experience as incredibly liberating, allowing her to fully embody the character’s distant and detached emotional state.

Emma Stone’s range as an actress is remarkable. She played a cunning and ambitious character still finding her way in The Favourite, and then built on those qualities to create something truly frightening in Bugonia. Michelle Fuller is a complex character – strategic, eccentric, and professional, yet also vulnerable – and Emma Stone portrays all of these aspects brilliantly.

I was so impressed hearing that Yorgos didn’t even need to discuss the physicality of the role with Emma. She just read the script and instantly got what was required – it’s amazing how much she understands the vision without needing a lot of explanation!

Emma Stone’s performances truly shine in Yorgos Lanthimos’ films because his writing allows her unique talents to come through. She’s naturally energetic and physically comedic, but those qualities are often toned down in more dramatic roles. Lanthimos gives her the freedom to embrace them. His stories challenge her to portray complex, contradictory emotions – she has to be both frightening and funny, fragile and detached, all within the same scene.

Jesse Plemons Is the Element That Completes the Formula

Jesse Plemons is a fantastic addition to the film, bringing a much-needed sense of unpredictability that was absent in the director’s previous movies. As the troubled kidnapper Teddy Gatz, Plemons embodies a uniquely American, masculine instability. He shakes up the director’s typically precise and controlled world with a raw, heartbreaking energy that keeps you guessing.

Paul Dano is a remarkably adaptable actor who brings authenticity to every role. In the film Bugonia, he anchors the story’s outlandish premise in a relatable world. He portrays Teddy as a typical American man consumed by his fascination with aliens and their associated stories.

The dinner table scene perfectly illustrates Lanthimos’s filmmaking style. He uses a fixed, wide camera angle – a signature of his detached approach – to capture the scene. Emma Stone plays her character with cold stillness, while Jesse Plemons is a bundle of nerves that eventually explode in a frantic, animalistic outburst, crawling across the table. It’s a striking contrast in acting techniques.

Plemons’ character is crucial because he embodies the emotional toll of the strange world Lanthimos creates. While Stone’s performance is intellectual, Plemons delivers a raw, visceral performance, demonstrating that genuine emotion is possible—even if that emotion is rooted in pain, fear, and desperation.

Bugonia Confirms This Collaboration as a Defining Modern Era

The film Bugonia demonstrates that this creative team – Stone, Plemons, and Lanthimos – has moved beyond traditional narratives. They’re now focused on crafting immersive, experimental experiences, almost like a self-contained world. Along with Kinds of Kindness, they’re using an approach rarely seen in contemporary filmmaking.

Their quick connection has led to a unique way of communicating – a comfortable flow of conversation and shared silences – which strengthens their bond and allows them to confidently tackle more complex projects.

As a movie buff, I find it fascinating that Lanthimos and his cinematographer, Robbie Ryan, opted for VistaVision – a really high-resolution film format that means using huge, cumbersome cameras. It’s a bold choice, especially now when everything’s so digital! It definitely makes things more complicated for the whole crew, but it also creates this incredibly precise, almost staged look, forcing the actors to perform within very strict and unmoving shots. It’s a challenging way to film, but I have a feeling it’ll be visually stunning.

In terms of its overall message, Bugonia fully embraces the bleak outlook that has been developing in the director’s recent work. While Poor Things offered a vision of a hopeful, socialist future and Kinds of Kindness concluded with uncertainty, Bugonia takes a much darker turn, depicting the complete disappearance of humankind as a means of saving the planet.

The films and shows created by Yorgos Lanthimos are consistently strange and unconventional, but they’re also funny and imaginative, suggesting he’ll continue making them for a while.

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2026-01-12 07:16