Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos.
Bugonia was released in the U.S. on October 24, 2025 (limited theatrical), followed by a wide release on October 31, 2025.
Distributed by Focus Features in the United States and Universal Pictures International for global release.
Movie Review
Bugonia (2025) is a dark, strange, and smart sci-fi thriller directed by Yorgos Lanthimos.
The story follows two men who kidnap a biotech CEO, believing she’s an alien trying to destroy humanity.
What sounds like a wild conspiracy soon turns into a tense and thought-provoking story about greed, power, and the dangers of obsession.
Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons give powerful performances that keep the movie both emotional and unpredictable.
The film looks amazing, mixing eerie visuals with Lanthimos’ signature weird humor.
While Bugonia can feel confusing or unsettling at times, it’s meant to make you think rather than just entertain.
It asks deep questions about truth, belief, and human nature in the modern world.
For fans of slow-burn thrillers and bold storytelling, Bugonia is an unforgettable, conversation-starting experience that proves Lanthimos remains one of today’s most daring filmmakers.
Ratings
• IMDb: 7.7/10
• Rotten Tomatoes: 87%
• Google Audience Score: 84% liked this movie.
Bugonia (2025) Actors
Emma Stone as Michelle Fuller
DOB: November 6, 1988.
Bio: American actress and producer whose versatility has made her one of the most acclaimed performers of her generation.
An Academy Award winner for La La Land, she’s known for effortlessly transitioning between comedy, drama, and surreal psychological storytelling.
Role: Michelle Fuller is the CEO of Auxolith, a powerful and morally ambiguous pharmaceutical company.
When two environmental activists, Teddy and Don, kidnap her under the belief that she’s an alien disguised as a human, Michelle’s intellect, manipulation, and survival instincts are tested in a darkly comic, confined setting.
What to expect: A layered, fearless performance that blends menace, vulnerability, and dark humor.
Interesting facts: Stone shaved her head for the role (a visually striking choice used heavily in the film’s marketing and interviews). She also produced the film.
Notable works: La La Land, The Favourite, Poor Things, Easy A, Cruella.
Jesse Plemons as Teddy Gatz
DOB: April 2, 1988.
Bio: American actor celebrated for his uncanny ability to disappear into complex, morally ambiguous roles.
From his breakout as Todd in Breaking Bad to acclaimed performances in Fargo, The Power of the Dog, and Killers of the Flower Moon, Plemons has built a reputation for quiet intensity and psychological depth.
Role: Teddy Gatz, a reclusive, conspiracy-driven beekeeper who becomes convinced that corporate executive Michelle Fuller (Emma Stone) is an alien disguised as a human.
Acting on his delusion, he kidnaps her with the help of his friend Don, setting off a darkly comic spiral of paranoia, violence, and misplaced righteousness.
What to expect: A gripping, unpredictable performance marked by eerie sincerity and bursts of volatility.
Interesting facts: Critics at early screenings called Plemons’s performance “career-best,” praising his chemistry with Stone and his ability to shift seamlessly between menace and empathy.
His collaboration with Lanthimos marks his first time working with the director, a pairing many found both surprising and inspired.
Notable works: Breaking Bad, Fargo, The Power of the Dog, Judas and the Black Messiah, Killers of the Flower Moon.
Aidan Delbis as Don
DOB: N/A.
Bio: Aidan Delbis is a newcomer to professional acting, cast by director Yorgos Lanthimos after an extensive open-call search.
Delbis, who is neurodivergent and on the autism spectrum, was chosen for his natural sensitivity and authenticity, qualities that give Bugonia its emotional grounding.
Role: Don is Teddy Gatz’s younger cousin, a conflicted and soft-spoken accomplice drawn into Teddy’s delusional plan to kidnap pharmaceutical CEO Michelle Fuller.
Unlike Teddy, Don remains uneasy about the violence and moral collapse unfolding in front of him.
What to expect: A tender, quietly devastating performance that contrasts sharply with the film’s escalating madness.
Interesting facts: Delbis’s leap from high school stage productions to starring opposite Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons was highlighted in multiple festival profiles as one of Bugonia’s most remarkable behind-the-scenes stories.
Notable works: Bugonia is Delbis’s breakout role.
Stavros Halkias as Casey
DOB: February 11, 1989.
Bio: American stand-up comedian, actor, and podcaster known for his brash humor, sharp wit, and unfiltered stage presence.
A rising name in modern comedy, he has steadily transitioned into acting with appearances in indie projects and television.
Role: Casey is a small-town police officer whose uneasy history with Teddy Gatz resurfaces during the investigation into Michelle Fuller’s disappearance.
His role injects tension and local menace into the story, embodying small-town authority twisted by personal grudges and moral cowardice.
What to expect: A layered turn that blends Halkias’s comic instincts with surprising menace.
Interesting facts: Halkias’s background in improvisation and stand-up gave Lanthimos room to shape Casey’s dialogue rhythmically, some of his exchanges were partly improvised on set.
Notable works: Stand-up special Fat Rascal, co-host of Cum Town and Stavvy’s World podcasts.
Alicia Silverstone as Sandy Gatz
DOB: October 4, 1976.
Bio: American actress, producer, and activist who rose to international fame in the 1990s with her iconic role as Cher Horowitz in Clueless (1995).
Known for her blend of charm and emotional depth, she has since built a diverse career across film, television, and stage, often choosing roles that challenge expectations of her early fame.
Role: Sandy Gatz is Teddy’s mother, a former test subject in Auxolith’s experimental drug trials whose life was devastated by the company’s unethical practices.
Her deteriorating health and tragic past serve as the emotional root of Teddy’s anger and paranoia, fueling the film’s central abduction plot.
What to expect: A restrained yet haunting performance from Silverstone that humanizes the film’s darkness.
Interesting facts: Silverstone’s role was kept secret until post-production, with Yorgos Lanthimos reportedly seeking her specifically for her ability to blend maternal warmth with quiet sorrow.
Notable works: Clueless, The Crush, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, American Woman.
Cedric Dumornay as Chris
DOB: May 2, 1990.
Bio: American actor known for his grounded performances in independent film and television.
With credits in Blindspotting and other character-driven projects, Dumornay has developed a reputation for bringing authenticity and emotional nuance to ensemble roles.
Role: Chris is a peripheral but vital figure whose path crosses with the central kidnapping plot.
He represents the collateral human cost of paranoia and misinformation that ripples through the town.
What to expect: A committed supporting turn that helps make the film’s world feel populated and real.
Interesting facts: Dumornay has been building a profile in indie film and brings that indie-sensibility to Lanthimos’s more stylized universe.
Notable works: Blindspotting, Real Connection.
J. Carmen Galindez Barrera as Ricky
DOB: N/A.
Bio: J. Carmen Galindez Barrera is a working actor and model steadily building a career through supporting film and television appearances.
Known for his professional versatility and natural screen presence, he often portrays grounded, everyday characters that lend realism to larger stories.
Role: Ricky is a corporate security guard employed by Auxolith, the pharmaceutical giant led by Emma Stone’s Michelle Fuller.
Though his screen time is brief, his character helps broaden the film’s world beyond the central basement setting.
What to expect: Functional, believable supporting work that fills the world outside the basement siege.
Interesting facts: Bugonia features several small but memorable supporting roles to make Auxolith’s environment feel lived-in.
Notable works: Various modeling and supporting screen credits.
Marc T. Lewis as Tony
DOB: N/A.
Bio: British actor and model whose growing portfolio includes a variety of supporting roles across film, television, and commercial projects.
Known for his poised screen presence and understated realism, Lewis often brings quiet authority and credibility to smaller but pivotal roles.
Role: Tony is part of the extended circle of characters connected to Auxolith, the powerful pharmaceutical company at the center of Bugonia.
He appears in sequences surrounding the corporate and legal fallout of the kidnapping, serving as one of the faces of the outside world that contrasts sharply with the claustrophobic tension of the basement scenes.
What to expect: Compact, efficient supporting work that helps structure the film’s off-basement scenes.
Interesting facts: Director Yorgos Lanthimos intentionally cast a mix of established and emerging UK talent for authenticity and freshness.
Notable works: Supporting screen and commercial credits listed on professional CVs and casting databases.
Vanessa Eng as Corey
DOB: N/A.
Bio: An emerging actress who transitioned from regional theater and independent shorts into feature filmmaking.
Known for her authentic delivery and understated emotional range, Eng has built a reputation for adding depth and humanity to small but meaningful roles.
Rolem: Corey is one of Michelle Fuller’s corporate associates at Auxolith, a sympathetic insider who offers glimpses into the moral gray areas of the company.
What to expect: A naturalistic, grounded supporting turn in the film’s office and aftermath scenes.
Interesting facts: In post-release interviews, Eng described working with Yorgos Lanthimos as a surreal, career-defining experience, noting his focus on stillness and emotional truth.
Notable works: Regional stage performances, independent short films.
Charita “Momma Cherri” Jones as Tina
DOB: N/A.
Bio: Charita Jones, widely known as Momma Cherri, is a Brighton-based chef, restaurateur, and television personality celebrated for her soul food restaurant and memorable appearance on Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares.
Role: Tina is a community figure who appears in brief but affecting scenes, representing the grounded, everyday humanity beyond the film’s surreal and corporate chaos.
What to expect: A memorable cameo that adds earthy humanity to the film’s cast of background characters.
Interesting facts: Known for her vibrant personality, Momma Cherri’s involvement became a talking point at festival screenings.
Her real-life energy reportedly brought a sense of levity to the set between darker scenes.
Notable works: Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares (UK), local UK television and food appearances.
Rafael Lopez Bravo as Carlos
DOB: N/A.
Bio: Veteran Latin American actor and production professional with decades of experience across film, television, and stage.
Known for his steady, grounded screen presence, he has contributed to numerous international projects in both Spanish and English-language productions.
Role: Carlos appears in Bugonia as part of the film’s wider narrative world, one of the key figures tied to the aftermath of Auxolith’s actions.
His scenes connect the main hostage plot to the broader social and ethical consequences of the pharmaceutical company’s experiments.
What to expect: Solid, veteran support that adds texture to the movie’s milieu.
Interesting facts: López Bravo has worked behind the camera as well as on screen, contributing to various international co-productions.
Notable works: Extensive credits across Latin American and U.S. television and cinema.
Teneise (Teneisha) Mitchell Ellis as Detective
DOB: N/A.
Bio: Teneise Mitchell-Ellis is a working film and television actress with a growing résumé of supporting and character roles. Known for her authentic, grounded delivery.
Role: In Bugonia, she portrays one of the detectives investigating Michelle Fuller’s disappearance.
Her presence introduces the procedural element that contrasts sharply with the claustrophobic, absurdist intensity of the basement scenes.
What to expect: Efficient, scene-clearing role that give the story its urgent outside-world pressure.
Interesting facts: Mitchell-Ellis has appeared in a range of productions spanning independent cinema, television, and commercial work, steadily building a profile as a reliable supporting performer.
Notable works: Listed across industry sites in various supporting and guest roles.
More Actors
• Fredricka Whitfield as Fredricka Whitfield.
• Roger Carvalho as Young Detective.
FAQ – Bugonia (2025) Movie
What is Bugonia about?
Bugonia is a dark, absurdist sci-fi black comedy / thriller about two men who kidnap a biotech CEO they believe is an alien, the film uses the hostage premise to examine corporate power, conspiracy culture and environmental fear.
Is Bugonia based on a true story?
No, it’s a fictional story, though it draws on contemporary cultural anxieties about biotech, corporate power and conspiracy thinking.
Is Bugonia a remake of another film?
Yes, it is an English-language remake of the 2003 South Korean film Save the Green Planet! by Jang Joon-hwan.
Will there be a sequel?
No official sequel or franchise announcement has been made public as of the film’s 2025 release.
Where was Bugonia filmed?
Bugonia (2025) was filmed in the United Kingdom and Greece, with key scenes shot in High Wycombe, Ditton Park, and on the island of Milos. The mix of urban and scenic settings adds to the film’s surreal sci-fi vibe.
What is the film’s rating / is it suitable for kids?
Bugonia is intended for mature audiences, it contains disturbing imagery, strong themes and intense tone, and is not recommended for children.
Conclusion
Bugonia (2025) is not your typical sci-fi thriller. It’s bold, bizarre, and deeply meaningful, the kind of movie that stays with you long after it ends.
Yorgos Lanthimos once again delivers a story that mixes dark humor with sharp social commentary, while Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons shine in complex, fearless roles.
The film’s strange tone and unsettling twists might not be for everyone, but for viewers who enjoy thought-provoking cinema, Bugonia is a powerful and unforgettable ride.