My Thoughts on the Film, Bugonia (2025), 2/22/2026….

I’m not sure what to say about this film. It’s not that I am at a loss for words—trust me, I have plenty to say—it’s just that I’m not sure whether I liked it or I hated it.

There’s one thing I can say, and I don’t think this is too much of a spoiler: the film starts with bees and ends with bees. It’s one of those films where the reveal—or the twist—at the film’s end is not a twist at all; the hints were dropped all throughout it. But me, as the viewer, who was under such sustained disbelief of the premise that, realistically, the twist should not have—and could not have—had been real.

But it did. And I guess I was supposed to feel duped? My jaw was supposed to drop open? My eyes were supposed to blink spasmodically? And my hands were supposed to flail in the air, in total, utter, unrelenting disbelief? Was I supposed to slap myself in the head and say, “D’Oh!” when the events finally resolved?

Yeah, no.

The film has its merits: it was well-written, well acted, well-paced, and the splashes of gore forced my breath into little gasps. Yorgos Lathimos (Poor Things) is no stranger to surreality, dark humor, and mind-pinching plot twists. But I think he missed the target here. The plot and even the performances doesn’t warrant the film a second viewing. Once you’ve seen it, you’ve seen it.

But somebody must have liked this film; it garnered four Academy Award nominations. Emma Stone (Poor Things), a Lathimos alumna, deserves the kudos for her depth, if not range, of believable emotions. Bugonia was also nominated for Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Original Score.

Jesse Plemons, as Teddy Kats, the protagonist of the film, was robbed of an Oscar nod, as so many up and coming actors are when the nominations for the films they should have been nominated for are skipped. He brings a sympathy and articulation to a broken soul, a trauma survivor, a sufferer of grief that has a savage dark secret. In the next year, Plemons will portray a role that is written for him, act his pants off, and receive next year’s nod.

There is an extended resolution to the film that I think was totally unnecessary. I completely got the point within the first twenty seconds of the montage of images. And what images! Shocking scenes dotted the screen during the entirety of “Where have all the Flowers Gone?” by Marlene Dietrich (three minutes, thirty-seven seconds). And then there were the bees.

Watch this film once; it’s all you need to do; if you really want to. Then perhaps we can have a discussion about it. The eight stars I gave the film on IMDB signifiy that I think it’s a well-made film. Not that I liked it or hated it.