Bugonia draws rave reviews at Venice

Venice and Telluride screenings heighten expectations for Lanthimos and Stone's latest, Bugonia, ahead of its October release.

Bugonia Draws Rave From Critics as Lanthimos and Stone Deliver a Genre Defying Thriller

Bugonia had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival and has earned a 100 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes in early reviews. The story centers on a pharmaceutical executive who becomes the target of a conspiracy theorist convinced she is an alien plotting Earth’s destruction. The movie is adapted from the 2003 South Korean cult hit Save the Green Planet and marks another collaboration between Lanthimos and Stone ahead of an Oscar friendly release schedule.

Critics from Variety, The Hollywood Reporter and The Guardian weigh in with varied takes. Owen Gleiberman says Lanthimos is at the top of his game and that Jesse Plemons delivers the film’s most extraordinary performance. David Rooney calls it a genre hopping blast and praises the leads for matching the director’s vision. Peter Bradshaw offers a tempered view, while Deadline’s Pete Hammond argues the film is timely and entertaining despite its strangeness. Bugonia screens at Venice and Telluride before a limited release on October 24 and a wide rollout on October 31.

The film extends Lanthimos’s pattern of dark humor and sharp social observation, weaving suspense with sci‑fi and paranoia. Stone anchors the narrative while Plemons injects a creeping intensity that keeps the plot off balance. The adaptation from Save the Green Planet places Bugonia in a lineage of offbeat sci‑fi that challenges mainstream expectations and demonstrates Lanthimos’s continued appetite for high concept cinema.

The festival circuit now becomes the proving ground for potential awards attention. Strong early reception at Venice and Telluride could translate into momentum for critics and voters alike, but mixed responses to pacing or tonal shifts may complicate the film’s awards trajectory. If Bugonia lands with audiences and juries, it would reinforce Lanthimos’s status as a fearless stylist who can still surprise, while a cooler reception would complicate its path to recognition.

Highlights

Bugonia’s festival run will test how far its brave storytelling can travel to general audiences.