Bugonia

This film is a remake of the South Korean film Save the Green Planet!. The title comes from the ancient Greek words for “bull” and “offspring”, referring to a ritual rooted in the myth that bees hatch from the carcass of a bull.

Another masterpiece from Lanthimos, starring my beloved Stone, and it’s no secret that I loved it.

The visuals are, as always, beautiful, and the acting is excellent. There’s a lot to say about this film, but I’ll focus on the main reasons it worked so well for me. I don’t know the Korean original, so I’m treating this as a film in its own right. Spoilers ahead!

From the very beginning, the main character and his speeches give off strong incel vibes. The fact that he administers chemical castration injections suggests a clear sexual undertone, which is further supported by the story of violence committed against him — something I read as a kind of metaphor for incels.

I really liked how the film visually conveyed the metaphor of the protagonist’s inability to let go of his mother, who had fallen ill and into a coma.

It’s also a nice touch that the creators added what seems like a small, insignificant detail to his portrait — the fact that he has held many different political views over the years, changing them like socks. This actually reveals a lot about him: he constantly searches for someone to blame for the failures and tragedies in his life, rather than taking any responsibility for his own choices. The scene with the secret room, where she discovers she was never his only target, confirms exactly this.

I think the ending was designed the way it was for two reasons: 1) to lighten a very heavy and disturbing subject and/or 2) to raise the question of “what if?”, because many conspiracy theories from the past have actually been confirmed by official institutions 50 to 70 years later.

I also feel the film works as a reflection on the conflict between corporations and ordinary people — on capitalist injustice and the very human hunger for revenge and justice. There are so many layers in the movie that you could keep analysing it indefinitely.

And even though the situation at the core of the film is genuinely terrifying — the kidnapping and torture of a woman — it’s skillfully balanced with dark humour, so you occasionally forget why they’re all there in the first place.