Emma Stone in “Bugonia” at Deauville 2025: A Journey Beyond with “Poor Creatures” Director!

What’s the Plot?

Two conspiracy-obsessed men kidnap a high-profile CEO, believing she is an alien intent on destroying Earth.

The World of Stone

The Venice to Deauville route used to be frequented by many prestigious American productions, but times have changed, making the appearance of a film that was just at the Lido a few days earlier all the more noteworthy. This is particularly true for a film like Bugonia, the fourth collaboration between Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone, which has been highly anticipated following their previous impactful films (“The Favourite,” “Poor Creatures,” and “Kinds of Kindness”). Once again, Stone steps out of her comfort zone.

In this film, inspired by the South Korean sci-fi comedy “Save the Green Planet!”, Stone even went as far as to shave her head, as revealed in the latest trailer. In the film, her kidnappers (played by Jesse Plemons and Aidan Delbis) are convinced that her hair allows the CEO, who they strongly suspect to be an extraterrestrial, to communicate with her mother ship.

The premise is wild, and the execution is even more so, demanding patience from the audience until a bizarre and over-the-top final half-hour rewards those who stick around through moments that seem to stagnate. Lanthimos doesn’t just challenge his muse by giving her a new physically demanding role, devoid of nudity but filled with beatings and torture sessions that leave her increasingly limping.

As usual, the filmmaker crafts a biting satire sparing no one: capitalism, conspiracy theories, and even incels (“involuntary celibates”), portraying the kidnappers as two men and their victim, a woman they blame for all their troubles, including the chemical castration they endured as part of their plan. Lanthimos continues to be influenced by Stanley Kubrick in his incredibly precise staging, the way he follows characters in motion, and a soundtrack that becomes increasingly eerie as the story progresses, painting a harsh portrait of contemporary America that resonates with Ari Aster’s recent work “Eddington,” also starring Emma Stone.

Uncomfortable and Exhilarating

While both films are unsettling, Bugonia will undoubtedly leave a lasting impression. A viewer in Deauville did not hesitate to express his displeasure, loudly announcing “It’s shit!” as he left the theater on Saturday, September 6, following a particularly harsh torture scene that, while not gratuitous, left the most violent aspect off-screen. Furthermore, the conclusion of this paranoid tale may surprise and unsettle many, reminding us that Lanthimos doesn’t only push his actors out of their comfort zones.

For those willing to be taken on a (very) far journey by Emma Stone and her favorite director, Bugonia offers a new experience that is at times uncomfortable, at times exhilarating, and sometimes both. Viewers have until November 26 to prepare themselves, both for the film and for the scene in which Stone belts out a Chappell Roan song at the top of her lungs in a car.