Professional Fangirl- Katelyn Benschoter

One of the best feelings in life is when the time has come to finally go see that new movie you have been anticipating for months. I recently experienced this when I made the outing to go see the director of Poor Things, Yorgos Lanthimos’s new film, Bugonia. I vividly remember seeing an ad for this film between TikTok videos, and everything about it roped me in. From Emma Stone playing the leading role to the discussion of conspiracy theorists, and even to the use of Chappell Roan’s song “Good Luck Babe” in the ad. I was instantly enticed. The plot of Bugonia is that Emma Stone plays a high-powered CEO of a medical company, and two conspiracy theorists think she is an alien and decide to kidnap her. The plot instantly felt very modern, intriguing, and I was excited to see where it went. This film felt as if it clearly was going to make a statement on either CEOs, capitalism, the culture of conspiracy theories, etc. Also coming from Lanthimos, known for his weird and artistic films, I was enticed to see what twists this movie would hold. All that to say this film was a wild ride, and there was not a single second my eyes weren’t glued to the screen.

Before watching this film, I tried to avoid any spoilers as I wanted to take the film in for what it was. And I am so glad I did. The film was incredibly fast-paced, and there was not a single dull moment. It was so exciting, having no idea what was about to happen next. The audience is immediately introduced to Michelle, the CEO of Auxolith, a medical company. When she is first shown, the film uses music and editing to present her as some larger-than-life evil force. It is almost comical how the film is trying to convince you that this woman, who is simply doing a fancy skincare routine and listening to Chappell Roan as she drives to work, could be so evil. We then meet Teddy, who keeps bees, and we later find out works in the warehouse at the same medical company as Michelle. He recruits his cousin Don to help him with his plan to kidnap Michelle. Don is reluctant, but ultimately goes along with the plan even when it means voluntarily castrating himself. The two then wait for her in her driveway, kidnapping and drugging her. This all happens very quickly in the film, and I found myself wondering what was possibly going to happen for the next two hours.

My favorite part of this film was the quality of suspense. Typically, when one may think of suspenseful films, they may think of a classic horror, but this is probably one of the most suspenseful films I have watched. I did not move an inch the entire time because I was so drawn in, well, except for the singular time I physically covered my mouth because I was so shocked. Almost the entirety of the film after Michelle is kidnapped is her devising a plan to escape, and Teddy devising a plan for Michelle to talk to her mothership, a key aspect of his conspiracy theory. It is the most suspenseful part of the film. This is done using music, editing, and a unique audience perspective. Teddy decides to do a series of tests on Michelle, each getting more and more violent. Being forced to watch these uncomfortable acts adds to the suspense. Additionally, you see Teddy watch the news and see the search for Michelle begin. As an audience member, you can see both perspectives and are just waiting for everything to unfold. This feeling was fantastic. I cannot remember the last time I was this drawn into a film. That being said, when all the tension was cut with a twist ending, it was extremely dissatisfying.

I do not want to give away what exactly this twist was, but I do want to talk about its effect on the film. This twist was one of those that changes how you now perceive the entire film. Those types of endings are not inherently bad, I think there are a lot of great examples of this, such as The Sixth Sense. The difference is that those endings leave you with a deeper meaning of the film, and make you appreciate what you had just watched so much more. Meanwhile, this ending made the entire first 90% of the film feel unimportant, and as if all the themes and ideas no longer apply. I genuinely thought I was watching a five-star movie until the twist. This is not to say the film is no longer worth watching; I just am mourning the perfection that it could have been.

Despite being disappointed by the ending, I would still recommend this film. It raises relevant questions about the power dynamics of CEOs and the ridiculous culture of conspiracy theorists that seems timeless. This film does a great job of embracing the present day in a way that won’t be outdated in a few years. The performances of all three main actors were also incredible. I expect this film to get a lot of award buzz and possibly even some wins. The shots were clean and added a lot thematically. I can not say enough great things about the first 90% of this film. I feel like I need to rewatch it just to remind myself I did not dream up that terrible ending. It felt like the writer almost got tired and just changed the ending of the story at the last minute. This film reminds us of the importance of a good ending and the impact it has on a story. That being said, still give this watch a shot and maybe you will interpret the ending differently than I did and help me love this film the way I did before I watched the ending.