Bugonia Blends Madness and Conspiracy

Bugonia

★ ★ ★ ★

Bugonia is an ancient Greek word that means “ox-birth.” It’s based on a ritual where cows were sacrificed so that bees would spontaneously generate from the carcass. The title gives us a clue to the film’s backdrop—how one man’s deep-seated belief in conspiracy theories will lead him to kidnap the executive of a corporate conglomerate in hopes of saving humanity.

Teddy (Jesse Plemons) is an unhinged conspiracy theorist. When his mother Sandy (Alicia Silverstone) becomes comatose as a test subject for pharmaceutical company Auxolith, his beliefs become a hyper-fixated obsession. Teddy mentors his neurodivergent, autistic cousin Don (Aidan Delbis), who blindly follows Teddy simply because he doesn’t know any better. It’s intrinsically cult-like and wildly disturbing, especially the self-abusive preparations Teddy makes them both go through before their mission.

Michelle gets abducted
© 2025 Focus Features

They kidnap Auxolith CEO Michelle (Emma Stone) and keep her tied up in Teddy’s basement to prove she’s an alien from the Andromeda galaxy. Teddy believes she can communicate with a mothership relatively close to earth. He’s convinced that Michelle, her company, and fellow Andromedians have been conducting supposed experiments on humankind and hold the key to healing Sandy. His secondary mission, of course, is to save mankind.

This film covers various conspiracy theories—some with potentially real explanations—such as what’s happening to the bee population. It’s more than hinted that Teddy is also a flat-earther, believing that the Earth is on a fixed plane beneath a firmament rather than a spinning globe traveling through the universe. A flat-Earth model is used when a title card tells us how many days are left until a lunar eclipse. But if Teddy is a flat-earther, his belief in Andromedians doesn’t make sense. Perhaps it’s a cheeky jab at how many conspiracy theories contradict one another.

Aidan Delbis as Don and Jesse Plemons as Teddy.
© 2025 Focus Features

This movie fires on all cylinders.

The film uses wide angles, giving it a raw, independent feel and inviting us to explore the crazy world in which the characters reside. Ordinary locations take on a quirky life of their own—the wider the lens, the stranger they feel. Cinematic juxtaposition runs throughout, with quirky, darkly comedic scenes playing against the film’s most disturbing moments.

The score shifts effortlessly—from pounding emotional cues to cool, anempathetic tones that undercut the action. It mirrors the characters’ disconnection from reality while pulling us deeper into the film’s tension. Everything ties together in flawless, reckless abandon.

Emma Stone as Michelle
© 2025 Focus Features

Plemons is captivating as Teddy—unhinged yet capable of making us believe he might not be completely crazy. Stone, despite her character’s cold, corporate demeanor, manages to evoke sympathy for Michelle and gives us just enough doubt to wonder whether Teddy might be right. It’s excellent writing and great acting.

But the standout performance goes to Delbis in his feature film debut. He started his career as a young actor on the autism spectrum as a cast member of The Miracle Project—an inclusive theater, film and expressive arts program in Los Angeles. In Bugonia, he gives us a character that trusts Teddy implicitly—even when he questions his methodology.

Jesse Plemons as Teddy
© 2025 Focus Features

Don is the real victim in this film, a character incapable of deciphering Teddy’s ideology from any sense of reality. There’s a gentle soul within his character as it’s being ripped apart, at least indirectly, by Teddy’s actions. Delbis draws out an inner conflict—Don doesn’t want to do what Teddy asks but complies because he doesn’t know any better. His caretaker, who says he loves him, must be right—there is no middle ground despite his confliction.

This film is at its best at its most absurd, one of those rare stories that keeps you guessing right to the end. It’s at times darkly funny, deeply tragic and profoundly surprising. At times, you’ll be convinced that Teddy’s crazy. At others, you won’t be so sure. You’ll get a sense of what it’s like to walk a mile in Don’s shoes. Things Teddy does may not always make sense, but you follow along anyway. Where Don didn’t have a choice, we bought a ticket. And it’s more than worth the price of admission.