Bugonia: Lanthimos & Emma Stone’s Real-World Sci-Fi Thriller

Bugonia, Yorgos Lanthimos' most recent film, had its world premiere at the 2025 Venice Film Festival, garnering much press and earning fans worldwide. Starring Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons, it successfully combines sci-fi, dark comedy, and psychological thriller into a narrative that feels all too plausible.  While many might imagine a future in a dystopian world, Lanthimos wants to be clear that the discomforting happenings of Bugonia show the world we already inhabit today. Yet, for modern viewers, it is both entertaining and unsettlingly thought provoking.

What is Bugonia About?

Bugonia is an exciting English-language copy of the 2003 South Korean cult classic Save the Green Planet!, with a screenplay by Will Tracy, and directed by Yorgos Lanthimos. It will make you feel paranoid and conspiracy-minded while laughing maniacally or squeamishly. 

Story follows two guys, Jesse Plemons and newcomer Aidan Delbis, who are convinced that aliens are secretly controlling the Earth. They think they've discovered the ultimate truth and kidnap a big-time pharmaceutical CEO played by Emma Stone, because they suspect she is an alien queen, and is plotting the destruction of humanity.

Bugonia is a mixed-genre movie that combines sci-fi, horror and dark comedy imagination and absurdity, and at the same time is a bizarre parable about our reality, where conspiracy theories, distrust of authority, and fears of technology dominate conversation. This comes from a mix of surreal comedy and disturbing realism that sets this film apart from other sci-fi thrillers.

The Story Behind Bugonia - From South Korea to Hollywood

The film is an English-language version of the 2003 South Korean cult classic Save the Green Planet, with a script by Will Tracy. While Bugonia shares the darkly comedic and conspiratorial elements of its source, Bugonia ramps up the psychological angst and surreal humor to offer the audience a film experience that is funny, frightening, and intellectual all at the same time.

Emma Stone & Yorgos Lanthimos team up once again 

Emma Stone has become Yorgos' long-term creative partner. Although Stone previously collaborated with Yorgos on The Favourite, Poor Things, and Kinds of Kindness, Bugonia reunites the actress with the director. Fans are excited to see how Stone and Lanthimos build off their collaboration, as Stone's previous roles with the director have yielded critical success, including a win at the Oscars

Emma Stone in new poster for Yorgos Lanthimos’ ‘BUGONIA’

In theaters October 31. pic.twitter.com/XSmNgufhpZ

— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) August 27, 2025

How Bugonia Reflects Today’s Society

Bugonia looks at distrust of authority, fear of technology, and social paranoia through a surreal, sometimes darkly comical lens. While the narrative exposes alien conspiracies, the underlined themes mirror contemporary real-world concerns and make the film seep into the viewer's psyche with dreadful familiarity. Not only does Lanthimos insightfully insert provocations that force the audience to justify their own assumptions, but he leaves viewers entertained and uneasy at the same.

the trailer is crazy, i wanna watch it now

— Maya (@maya_lndn) August 28, 2025

How fans have reacted to Emma Stone's new role

Even before it was released, Bugonia has been stirring up a lot of interest from audiences. Fans are excited to see Emma Stone take on another strong role under the direction of Yorgos Lanthimos, who has already established great expectations with his work in Poor Things and The Favourite, thus many fans have high hopes for Bugonia. Fans on social media have expressed a strong interest in how Stone will perform given the bisexual-ness of the story and the fact that Lanthimos is known for getting bold and challenging performances from actors.