Yorgos Lanthimos thinks Bugonia viewers will start doubting "what they think and what they believe": Here's why

One reason to watch Bugonia is that it's a Yorgos Lanthimos directorial.

Another reason to watch it is that the film will challenge its viewers' beliefs. In a recent interview with Screen Rant, the director explained this when asked about his idea of challenging people. He said,

"You said a lot of the things that I could have said just by asking the question. This film has the perfect structure to make the audience doubt what they think and what they believe, minute after minute. It's this uncovering of layers of these characters and their beliefs, their ways of trying to convince each other or themselves, that engages the audience in a very unique way. I think there's a very interesting course that you take while watching the film, which tells a lot of things about you as well."

Bugonia was released in October 2025 and stars Jesse Plemons and Emma Stone in the lead roles.

It's a remake of the South Korean film Save the Green Planet!, directed by Jang Joon-hwan. Will Tracy wrote the screenplay with Ari Aster co-producing alongside Lars Knudsen, Miky Lee, and more.

What is Bugonia about?

Jesse Plemons is Teddy in Bugonia. (Image via Focus Features)

The story follows a couple of conspiracy theorists, Teddy (Plemons) and Don (Aidan Delbis), who go after and capture the high-powered CEO of a pharmaceutical company, Auxolith, Michelle Fuller, because they believe she is an alien trying to destroy Earth.

She tries to convince them that she is simply a human like them, but fails to do so. Both of them also take some precautions, like shaving her head, so that she is unable to contact her mothership.

While there are comic elements in the movie, it also touches on mental health. As the story goes on, Plemon's character is revealed to be a troubled individual whose mother was a test subject of the pharma company's drug tests.

As of this writing, it sits fresh with a Tomatometer score of 87% on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes. Its Popcornmeter shows almost equal, 86% score, there.

Bugonia's title comes from an ancient belief

The film follows a couple of conspiracy theorists who abduct a pharma company's CEO. (Image via Focus Features)

The term 'bugonia' comes from a Greek myth, which includes the belief that bees can rise from the corpse of a dead ox. Basically, it simply denotes new life arising from the one that ended.

Regarding the title, the film's writer Will Tracy told The Independent that,

"You could take that as a metaphor for contemporary, certainly American life, or human civilization if you wish. That there might be some opportunity or new life that could arise from the ashes of something that's quite corrupt. That's one way to look at it."

A similar concept is also used in Harry Potter novels and films, where Dumbledore's bird, Fawkes, is a phoenix, a mythical bird that can rise from its ashes. There's actually a scene where we can see that happening in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002).