LOS ANGELES, Oct. 20 (UPI) -- Bugonia, in theaters Friday, has an outrageous premise that falls apart under minor scrutiny. The cast is game and director Yorgos Lanthimos imbues proceedings with his surreal aesthetic but it is not their strongest work.
Based on the South Korean film Save the Green Planet!, Bugonia stars Jesse Plemons and Aidan Delbis as cousins Teddy and Don, respectively. The pair kidnap Michelle Fuller (Emma Stone), a pharmaceutical CEO they suspect of being an alien.
Michelle's direct connection to their family is uncovered gradually throughout the film. Early on, Teddy asserts Michelle is an alien from Andromeda, so he and Don shave her head to prevent her from calling for help.
This makes it a bit counterproductive when Teddy demands Michelle contact her people to grant him passage onto their ship. If her hair was a transmitter, how does he expect her to reach them without it?
Whether one is familiar with the original film or not, Bugonia is essentially leading to only one of two conclusions. Either Teddy is right or he's wrong, and building to either ending dulls the dynamic between Teddy and Michelle. It's also not especially subtle.
