Editor’s Note: This article contains spoilers to “Bugonia.” Grace Chaves is a third-year journalism major and The Point’s opinion editor. The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of The Point.
Trigger warning: This film and review touches on rape and suicide.
I’ll be honest, I really only went to see Ari Aster’s new film “Bugonia” because Emma Stone was in it. I’ve adored her acting since “La La Land” and didn’t want to miss out on seeing another one of her films on the big screen.
“Bugonia” introduces us to the millionaire Michelle Fuller (portrayed by Emma Stone), who — despite her wealth and success — seems like an average businesswoman. But one day on her way home from work, she is stalked and kidnapped by Teddy (portrayed by Jesse Plemons) and his cousin Don (portrayed by Aidan Delbis). Fueled by paranoia and what they think is evidence, the two believe she is an alien.
Teddy and Don hold Michelle captive in their basement, torturing her without end by using psychological and physical abuse. Teddy desperately wants Michelle to speak to her mothership to discuss “her kind” being removed from Earth. He claims that his mother is dying from a virus because of Michelle, so in a way, this is him getting his revenge on her.
“Bugonia” is a film full of twists and turns, with the first half being darker from the second (which I’m quickly learning is a trademark of Aster’s films). For the first half, I was convinced Teddy and Don were going to kill Michelle regardless of whether they could prove she was an alien or not. The filmmakers built up a lot of tension, even in showing the mundanity of her new routine and her never knowing when Teddy and Don might come in with a rifle.
The movie takes a drastic turn when Don takes his own life right in front of her. I was on the edge of my seat, completely stunned. This scene threw me for a loop, and when Teddy went running downstairs and saw the blood on the floor, I thought all hope was gone for Michelle. However, when she lies about having a cure for his mom, it gives her a chance to snoop around Teddy’s house alone. When she discovers a room full of dissected people (Andromedans) stored in jars, I knew we were inching closer to finding out the truth: Michelle Fuller is an alien.
The film ends with Teddy dying in Michelle’s teleportation machine and Michelle making it back to her home planet, where she and her council decide to destroy all of humanity. They’ve decided that humanity is too cruel to continue living, so the Andromedans give up on them.
As crazy and gory as this film was, I can’t help but think it’s a metaphor for the time we’re living in. With climate change and humanity’s ceaseless wastefulness on the rise, this film was a poignant reminder to me that we must care for the Earth, or else we’ll be destroyed.
The movie gets this moving message across in a rather roundabout way. It was frustrating to see how long it took to finally get to the conclusion since there were several unnecessary side plots and plot holes that the movie would’ve been fine without. It’s randomly revealed that Teddy was raped in his childhood, but this is never brought up again. It’s also still unclear to me why Don killed himself, leaving me dissatisfied with the lack of closure. If the plot had been tightened up, this movie really could’ve been shorter.
Yet, this film was aesthetically pleasing when taken separately from the disappointing key moments. The cinematography was on par for an Aster film, and the scriptwriters did an outstanding job of making it complex and layered. Although some things felt unclear at times, I will say it was well done and memorable (although maybe not always for the best reasons).
“Bugonia” is definitely not an easy watch. Some scenes are uncomfortable and might be disturbing to some. It should be watched with a critical eye, keeping in mind that most of its plot points should be seen as a metaphor for larger sociological issues.
Isa Darisay 
Adee Tulcan