BUGONIA

Bugonia – What a Ride

I can’t believe that after such a deep dive into trauma and drama — and honestly, after a whole day that felt like a complete mess, with the future seeming uncertain in that “I’m about to lose it” kind of way — I came out on the other side healed, smiling, and feeling motivated to write about this movie.

I loved it! Bugonia is such a ride. This piece of art dives into so many subjects, jumping between them with almost perfect precision, and somehow leaves you feeling deeply inspired. Even with the two moments at the beginning that felt a bit slow and dragged out, I still came out transformed. Maybe those moments were even planted there intentionally — to make us experience the full emotional arc, so we can emerge from it the way we do.

It reminded me of how I felt after watching Poor Things again the other day. That same sense of longing for more of the story, even though the story itself is perfectly complete in what we’ve just witnessed. Some might say that Lanthimos has found the perfect formula for constructing these cinematic rides: starting with an awkward, almost shockingly slow beginning, then building through highs and lows until the end. Either way, I was so absorbed in the story that I completely forgot I was in a cinema, in another town, watching a movie.

Another thing worth pointing out is how Yorgos Lanthimos confirms that people are exactly what we imagine them to be — arrogant, selfish, responsible for our downfall, liars, manipulators. 

And Emma Stone? She delivers yet another Oscar-worthy performance portraying one of them. 

All three leads deserve nominations for the sheer power and depth they brought to this story.

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Spoilers Ahead

I kept wondering how I’d feel if the movie had gone in the other direction — if she hadn’t actually been an alien. Would it still have had the same impact, or even the same message? The ending was crucial in realizing that people are doomed, and the world will keep spinning just fine even if we fall off the train. But everyone in that film was broken in their own way, before that ending.

One of the most painfully realistic parts was the overweight cop who had abused Teddy when he was a kid. Watching Teddy suppress that trauma so deeply was heartbreaking. Everyone in Bugonia carries some kind of pain or damage. We’re all messed up — what a strangely positive way to see the world.

When Teddy’s cousin Don shot himself, I almost cried from the sheer sincerity and relief he conveyed — the sense of finally escaping the unbearable weight he’d been carrying. His last words, asking for his cousin to be cared for, were devastating. Throughout the film, he showed the most empathy and naïveté, which made him easy to manipulate — and ultimately sealed his fate.

And then there’s Michele, who used truth as her weapon. That was a different kind of power — one I recognized. Usually, manipulators use lies to control the weak-minded, but there’s nothing more dangerous than using the truth. 

I love when a film makes you feel something just from where the camera stands, how it moves, how fast or slow it breathes — from the textures of the set, the costumes, the light. That’s real cinema. And Yorgos Lanthimos is quickly becoming one of the best visual storytellers working today.

Iliya Badev

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#Bugonia
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#EmmaStone
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#Aidan Delbis
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