Bugonia

Yorgos Lanthimos is a madman of strange and off-kilter cinema, and Bugonia is no different. Thankfully, going into this cold and not really knowing much of the original source material (Save the Green Planet), I was pleasantly surprised by the end - another eccentric Lanthimos entry that is thankfully more cohesive to follow than his previous one (Kinds of Kindness). Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons act their asses off throughout and deserve award nods this season. The back-and-forth these two have, breaking down themes that range from fiction to surrealism, adds to the uncomfortable, stressful atmosphere that the movie evokes. Plus, there is a interesting satire on conspiracies that are very real in this day in age... and I feel the uprising of artificial intelligence will make things even more hectic down the road. While the first half starts off slow (and you can kinda catch the gist that Stone could very well have alien-like tendencies early on), the second half onwards keeps you at edge and never lets you go. Definitely something I'll revisit after looking into the original, and one of my instant favorites of the year. #BewareTheBubble