The Gonzo Wolf

Emma Stone. Shaved head. Might be an Alien. My wife and I were both a little too excited to watch this film for multiple reasons. This is why we don’t have friends.

Let’s see what the fine folks at Wikipedia have to say about this film (donate to them if you can; anything helps):

Bugonia is a 2025 black comedy^[b] film directed by Yorgos Lanthimos and written by Will Tracy. An English-language remake of the 2003 South Korean film Save the Green Planet! by Jang Joon-hwan, Bugonia follows two young men who kidnap a powerful CEO, suspecting that she is secretly an alien who wants to destroy Earth. A co-production of the United Kingdom, Ireland, South Korea, and the United States, the film stars Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Aidan Delbis, Stavros Halkias, and Alicia Silverstone.

Development on the film began in 2020, with Jang attached to direct, Will Tracy adapting the screenplay, and Ari Aster boarding as producer. Jang later stepped down as director, citing health concerns, but remained attached as an executive producer. By February 2024, Lanthimos was hired to direct in Jang’s place, while Stone joined the project both as an actress and producer. Plemons joined the cast that May, and it was soon acquired by Focus Features for distribution at the Cannes Film Festival. Principal photography began in July in High Wycombe, England, and Atlanta, Georgia, and during which time, the rest of the cast was announced. Additional filming took place in May 2025 in Milos, Greece. With an estimated budget of $45–$55 million, Bugonia is Lanthimos’s most expensive film.^[4][16]

Bugonia premiered in the main competition of the 82nd Venice International Film Festival on August 28, 2025, and was theatrically released in the United States by Focus Features on October 24. It received generally positive reviews from critics, with the performances of Stone and Plemons receiving praise. Both received nominations at the 83rd Golden Globes for their performances.

The Rev-iew:

Unless she’s a complete twat behind closed doors, Emma Stone appears to be the kind of public figure I’d want leading us in an apocalypse. She could read the menu at a Subway sandwich joint and sound so convincing, I’d jump the counter and begin making sandwiches. I like actors and actresses who remind me of people I’d defend in a bar fight.

Jesse Plemons? This guy has an impressive resume, yet I’d never seen him in a film until Civil War. Apparently, I’m one of the few people I know who enjoyed that film, and found it to be a sort of odd mimicry for the coming storm. Plemons scared me in Civil War. He scared me because I knew people like his character. They truly exist, and I have a feeling we’ll all be meeting more of them soon, but I digress, as usual.

I saw a teaser trailer for Bugonia somewhere along the way, and left it at that. I did zero research. I also had no idea it was a remake of a twenty year old Korean film. I also also didn’t know Ari Aster was attached to this project until just a few seconds ago, and Hereditary and Midsommar are two of my personal favs. Emma Stone in Poor Things? Cinematically, it’s a great time to be alive.

Setting the mood; it was a rare date night at home. We baked homemade pizzas and chocolate-chip cookies. Zero distractions save a ten year old who wanted to tell us things about his VR and a curious kitty named Skeekers. It was the Friday evening after a ‘not so bad’ week. We both were in need of a deep, character driven whodunnit without Rian Johnson’s name plastered all over it.

As an alien conspiracy theorist who peed a little during the documentary film Age of Disclosure, I was into this from the beginning. Someone was really up to date on their whistleblower theories and extraterrestrial legends, and I appreciated the hell out of that! They did their homework, and few stones were left unturned.

It’s three main characters in a very closed set with minimal props. There’s a creepy side character who pops up a couple of times, and even he manages to find a way to make your skin crawl in the most, “well hello, little Billy; have you been saying your prayers?” sort of way. The main attractants? Stone’s eyes and Plemons’ facial expressions. Their convictions will speak to your soul. I’m not trying to be a wordsmith; there were many moments when I felt literal heartache for the main antagonist. So rare.

This is easily in my top five from 2025. It’s not Sinners, but it may be the best ‘slow-burn’ movie I saw last year. The Long Walk with minimal grandeur.

4/5