Bugonia – REVIEW & COCKTAIL – Le Shot Martini

There has not been a man more deserving of rest since God created the universe in six days than Yorgos Lathimos. The guy has quickly become one of Hollywood’s favorite authors and has managed to produce three pretty notable films over the past three years. There is, of course, the critically acclaimed and Oscar-winning film Poor things in 2023, the anthology apparently quickly abandoned Kinds of Kindness in 2024, and finally, Bugonia in 2025. Time to take a break, man. You deserved it. To leave Emma Pierre go home to her husband and child now.

Lathimos’ the films are always a little out there, often mixing the darker sides of the human psyche with absurd, bizarre comedy. There is a lot of consistency in the themes of his work, playing with the idea of ​​power and control as a way to influence others. And Bugonia it’s no different, so the good news is we have another vintage Lathimos movie, and the bad news is that we have another vintage Lathimos movie.

Bugonia is certainly a fun and incredibly depressing time, something we’d be shocked to find absent in any of the Lathimos’ movies. It offers a solid and timely character study that delves into the minds of the oppressed and the oppressors, analyzing what drives them to do what they do and believe what they believe. Unsurprisingly, perhaps, he manages to direct all of his stars well, with each member of the small cast managing to shine in different ways. So as a movie it’s pretty darn good, but as a message or satire… well, that’s where I think it falls a little flat. The general idea becomes quite confusing as the film goes on, and by the time the credits roll you’re not entirely sure what the main message is. Lathimos propose. The film shines when the spotlight is on the individual, but stumbles over his words when he is forced to step back and look at the world. It’s a bit as if Lathimos He didn’t really have anything interesting to add to the conversation, but at least he made it as tight and lively as possible.

So after being known as that guy who elevates movies while only being in them for a few minutes, Jesse Plemons finally gets her time to shine in what might be her best role yet. He plays Teddy, a conspiracy theory-obsessed man whose constant tragedies in his life have pushed him to make a serious decision in order, in his mind, to save the human race. This is the type of character that I think it can be very difficult to find the right balance with. He believes seemingly ridiculous things about the world and how it works, but there’s always an element of pity that seems incredibly grounded. Rather than completely dismissing Teddy as a selfish weirdo, the film delves deeper into how he ended up that way. This makes it much less caricatured since the film attempts to understand how people transform due to their circumstances. There’s a bit of self-righteousness and hypocrisy about him, which I think is very reflective of those who are so desperate to be right about somethinganything that gives them an informed advantage over the population. But over time, we discover a truly noble purpose in his activities, as his potential hysteria is spawned by his need to fight for his mother, his cousin, and the planet as a whole. Plemons does a remarkable job of physically mastering this type of character, blending confidence and self-doubt in a way that makes him the perfect type of protagonist you want to see unravel.

And I don’t think it’s surprising to say that Emma Pierre is very good. Yet another incredibly physical transformation she put herself through, going from girlboss CEO to potential alien. And honestly, there’s probably no one better to take on this role. Those big eyes, the slight sagging she gives herself in this coat; everything comes together so well. Rock is such an imposing presence here, sometimes on top of her own corporate talk, but because she really believes what she says is what makes her words so icy. Speaking of which, I loved the way the film framed this hollow form of business dialogue. It’s so carefully constructed to sound appealing to the human ear that, at this point, it seems so fake, so manufactured, so…alien, if I may say so. If you’ve worked in a business, you’ll know what I’m talking about. Even though she spent most of the film in chains, she controls most of the dialogue, which is a lot of fun to see as she slowly brings out the layers of all the characters involved. Furthermore, it cannot be underestimated how Aidan Delbis is Teddy’s intellectually disabled cousin, Don. A performance filled with so much tenderness and confidence that ends up being absolutely moving. Oh hey, and shout out Stavros Halkias for having reached the big leagues. Sorry, it had to be like a cop making fun of kids.

The film achieves this solid balance between simplicity and complexity in the way it constructs its world. It’s filmed in a super simple way, but the coloring makes the world pop while still managing to have that nice layer of grime on it. This soaring orchestral soundtrack is such a lovely throwback and really helps elevate these tense moments of inner and outer panic. And without giving away where the story is going…well, it’s not the hardest to predict. But when all the dressing works this well, guessing the direction doesn’t really matter. You’re more interested in seeing the characters change than getting your questions answered, which is the mark of a truly talented director. And yes, I guess it’s been long enough for us to call Lathimos that.

But unfortunately it wasn’t a complete home run for me. While the first and second acts are incredibly compelling and interesting, the third act ends up being a bit messy. It’s still a lot of fun to watch, but the overall intent of the story starts to get a little murky. The film tackles many talking points; corporations destroy the environment, honest and hard workers are manipulated and exploited, and bees. Won’t anyone think of the bees? He lines up a lot of them for fairly superficial critiques before the third act turns everything on its head a bit. It’s a welcome confusion to the story, but it ultimately confused me about what the film was ultimately trying to say. To say that is to say nothing does a disservice to Lathimos and his body of work, but I just don’t think it’s as complete a thought as his other films. Every thorny territory it delves into is somehow erased by the end, sacrificing some character building for weird decisions that don’t make much sense when you go back and think about it from the beginning. But on the contrary, it makes me want to watch it again just to understand what I missed. If there’s more to unpack, I’d love to discuss it further, but for now it’s left me feeling a bit empty.

But even without a truly interesting or provocative take on the “us versus them” dilemma, Bugonia still succeeds in a highly entertaining pseudo-sci-fi tale filled with tension, uncomfortable laughs, and dark conclusions. Its contained story leaves just enough room for wonderful character work that I only wish could have come full circle in a more fulfilling way. Overall, no Lathimos’ the most interesting or intriguing, but definitely worth your attention. For my part, I welcome our new insect lords. They couldn’t do any worse than us running this place.

RATING

QUEEN BEE

For this drink, I wanted to keep things nice and simple, because if you’ve never had a New York Sour before, I hope this convinces you to do so. It’s basically a whiskey sour with a little red wine floating on top, which adds a lot more complexity to the drink. But for the Queen Bee, we’re going to merge the New York Sour with another classic cocktail, the Gold Rush. This will give the cocktail a slight botanical taste that’s a little different than your usual New York Sour, while also visually reflecting that burning anger that’s rising to the surface for our main characters. It is not necessary to lotion your body beforehand, but it is recommended.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 ounces proof bourbon
• 3/4 oz honey syrup/liquor
• 3/4 ounces lemon juice
• Float: red wine

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Add the ingredients to a cocktail shaker and shake with ice.
2. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
3. Carefully pour the red wine from the back of a spoon over the cocktail to form the red layer.