(TASSAWAR NEWS) Hollywood star Emma Stone has returned to the Venice Film Festival with acclaimed Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos, this time for their latest collaboration Bugonia—a darkly comic thriller exploring paranoia, delusion, and societal decay.
Stone, who previously won accolades for her role in Lanthimos’s 2023 Venice hit Poor Things—a film that went on to claim the Golden Lion and four Oscars—described Bugonia as “funny, messed up, and very alive.”
The movie follows two conspiracy-obsessed cousins, played by Jesse Plemons and newcomer Aidan Delbis, who kidnap a high-powered pharmaceutical CEO (portrayed by Stone). Convinced she is an alien plotting humanity’s destruction, their actions set the stage for a surreal, unsettling story that blurs the line between satire and reality.
Though bizarre in premise, Lanthimos insists the story is more a reflection of today’s fractured world than a vision of tomorrow. “Sadly, not much of this dystopia is fictional,” he remarked, pointing to the threats posed by technology, wars, climate change, and widespread denial.
The film is an English-language remake of South Korean director Jang Joon-hwan’s 2003 cult classic Save the Green Planet!. Asked about extraterrestrial life, Stone didn’t hold back: “Yes, I believe in aliens,” she admitted with a smile.
Bugonia demanded an unusual level of physical commitment from Stone—including shaving her head for a scene where her character lies unconscious. “Honestly, going bald is way easier than dealing with hair every day,” she joked.
Having now collaborated on at least five projects, Stone and Lanthimos have built what she describes as a rare creative bond. “It feels like a safe, supportive environment because we’ve been through so much together. It’s like a family,” she said.
Competing against works from Guillermo del Toro, Kathryn Bigelow, and Jim Jarmusch, Bugonia is among the 21 films vying for this year’s Golden Lion. The Venice Film Festival runs until September 6.
