Watching *Bugonia* felt strange in the best possible way. Lanthimos throws you into a world where nothing feels entirely normal - the rules are odd, people react in unpredictable ways, and yet something about all this chaos feels oddly familiar. You laugh, but there's always tension underneath it, like you're waiting for something to go wrong. The emotions hit harder than expected, even in moments that seem absurd on paper.
The story follows two conspiracy-obsessed men who kidnap Michele (played by Emma Stone), a corporate figure they believe is an alien trying to destroy Earth. It sounds ridiculous - and it is - but Lanthimos uses that absurdity to dig into paranoia, power, and the strange ways people cling to belief when faced with uncertainty.
Visually, the film looks beautiful and a bit unsettling. Shooting on 35mm gives it texture - the kind of imperfections, shadows, and lighting you don't get with digital. It makes the world feel alive, slightly out of sync, and that's exactly what this story needs. The camera work feels intentional without being flashy, every frame adding to the unease.
The tone is darkly funny but emotionally sharp. Lanthimos doesn't offer easy answers or explanations. He just builds tension through behavior - through silence, through glances, through moments that should be funny but end up being uncomfortable. Emma Stone stands out; she plays Michele with a mix of calm control and quiet menace that holds the film together.
It's one of those films that doesn't fully explain itself, and maybe that's the point. You either go along with its strange rhythm or you don't. For me, it worked - not because everything made sense, but because it felt honest in its chaos. Lanthimos doesn't tell you what to think, he just lets the madness unfold, and somehow, that's what makes it stick.
**Verdict:** 9/10 - not as tight as *The Favourite*, but easily Lanthimos's boldest and most unpredictable work since *The Lobster*.
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