Debapriya Bhattacharya
Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, ‘Bugonia’ is an English remake of Jang Joon-hwan’s Korean film ‘Save the Green Planet!’ The narrative follows Michelle Fuller (Emma Stone), the CEO of a major pharmaceutical company, who gets abducted by two young men under the suspicion of being an alien. Teddy Gatz (Jesse Plemons) is a blue-collar factory worker and beekeeper who believes Michelle to be an early scout for an invading alien species. His conspiracy theory is subscribed to by his neurodivergent cousin, Don (Aidan Delbis).
The two lock Michelle up in their basement and cut off her hair, believing that it will cut off her contact with the mothership. As the hunt for Michelle heats up outside, she faces off against an increasingly delirious Teddy while in captivity. The absurdist black comedy masterfully blends the lines between reality and imagination as it explores the psyches of an extremely rational person and a fanatic against each other. If the film has caught your interest, here is a list of movies similar to ‘Bugonia’ that you can consider for your next watch.
12. The Science of Sleep (2006)
Originally titled ‘La Science des Rêves,’ ‘The Science of Sleep’ tells the story of Stéphane Miroux (Gael García Bernal), who moves to Paris following the death of his father and starts to work as a graphic designer. His work is not much appreciated, and he starts daydreaming in all his waking moments. Soon, Stéphane begins to lose touch with reality as he gets caught up in his made-up world. He gets attracted to his new, artistic neighbor, Stéphanie (Charlotte Gainsbourg), but his hyperactive imagination gradually starts to have an impact on the relationship. His delusions reach the levels of Teddy Gatz in ‘Bugonia,’ as they both start to truly believe in their own versions of reality.
11. Burn After Reading (2008)
The Joel and Ethan Coen directorial ‘Burn After Reading’ centers around a CD containing the memoir of CIA analyst Osborne Cox (John Malkovich), who misplaces it after quitting his job. The disc finds its way into the hands of dimwitted gym employees Chad Feldheimer (Brad Pitt) and Linda Litzke (Frances McDormand), who mistakenly believe that they have stumbled upon some high-level government secrets. As they attempt to blackmail Osborne and sell the CD for some easy money, things start to get out of hand, with the agency itself getting involved. It is Chad and Linda’s ill-based actions that lead them all into a world of trouble, similar to what happens for the two conspiracy theorist cousins in ‘Bugonia.’
10. The Double (2014)
Based on Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s novella of the same name and directed by Richard Ayoade, ‘The Double’ tells the story of Simon James (Jesse Eisenberg), a bumbling government agency clerk who fails to have any meaningful social life. However, things turn further south for him with the sudden appearance of James Simon (also Jesse Eisenberg), his doppleganger who is far more charismatic and confident. James wins the affection of the woman Simon has a crush on, thus increasing the feeling of animosity for himself in his mind. Simon’s mental health begins to spiral, and he loses grasp of reality, similar to Teddy in Bugonia.
9. Swiss Army Man (2016)
Marking the feature directorial debuts of Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan, ‘Swiss Army Man’ chronicles the account of Hank (Paul Dano), a young man stranded on a deserted tropical island. Running out of hope in isolation, he decides to end his life, but spots a man (Daniel Radcliffe) on the shore just as he is about to hang himself. Upon closer inspection, Hank realizes that the man is dead. However, he refuses to let him be and drags him around with him in the wilderness. A lonely Hank names the corpse Manny, and in his delusion, starts to regard him as his sole friend on the island. Much like Teddy Teddy in Bugonia, reality slips from Hank in ‘Swiss Army Man.’
8. The Lobster (2016)
Helmed by Yorgos Lanthimos, ‘The Lobster’ is set in a near-future dystopia where single people are punished by being transformed into animals. However, they are allowed to stay in The Hotel for 45 days and try to find a partner within that time in order to avoid the punishment. David (Colin Farrell) is signed into The Hotel after his wife leaves him for another man. He is accompanied by a dog, whom he claims was once his brother. While he fails to partner up with anyone from The Hotel over the following days, he finds himself attracted to a woman living outside in The Woods. Like ‘Bugonia,’ the film is about characters following absurdist beliefs and rules to stay in society.
7. Being John Malkovich (1999)
Directed by Spike Jonze, ‘Being John Malkovich’ follows Craig Schwartz (John Cusack), an unemployed puppeteer in New York City who is married to the pet-obsessed Lotte (Cameron Diaz). He takes up a gig as a filing clerk in an office that is situated between the seventh and eighth floors of a building. There, he meets Maxine (Catherine Keener) and also discovers a tunnel that leads to the mind of actor John Malkovich (as himself). With this discovery, Craig comes up with a business plan, which upends as John comes to know what is going on. The surreal idea of taking over a person’s mind is also explored in ‘Bugonia.’
6. The Vast of Night (2020)
Set in the 1950s, the Andrew Patterson directorial ‘The Vast of Night’ centers around young switchboard operator Fay Crocker (Sierra McCormick) and radio disc jockey Everett Sloan (Jake Horowitz), two friends who hear a mysterious audio frequency at their respective places of work. They decide to track down the source of the sound, only to come to the realization that it may be of extraterrestrial origin. The fascination of the two youngsters with facing an alien is reminiscent of the two cousins in ‘Bugonia.’
5. Communion (1989)
Based on Whitley Strieber’s book of the same name, ‘Communion’ directed by Philippe Mora revolves around the Streiber family based in New York, who go off for a holiday in the woods in 1985 and go through a life-changing experience. Prior to leaving their home, novelist Whitley Strieber (Christopher Walken) has a weird nightmare. Following his family’s experience at camp, he holds a steadfast belief that aliens are present among them. This mirrors the belief that Teddy and Don hold in ‘Bugonia.’
4. Fire in the Sky (1993)
Adapted from the book ‘The Walton Experience’ by Travis Walton, the Robert Lieberman directorial ‘Fire in the Sky’ tells the story of an alleged alien abduction. While driving home from work with his friends through a forest in Arizona, logger Travis Walton (Daniel Bernard Sweeney) gets beamed up by a flying saucer. The four remaining men report the disappearance, but the police refuse to believe them and suspect that they have killed Travis. Even when the latter returns five days later, their story continues to be met with disbelief. The subject of alleged alien abduction is similar to what the abductors believe in ‘Bugonia.’
3. The Signal (2014)
Directed by William Eubank, ‘The Signal’ is set around three MIT students, Jonah (Beau Knapp), Nic (Brenton Thwaites), and Haley (Olivia Cooke), who are on a road trip to California. On their way, they are taunted by a skilled hacker, who lures them into a deserted area. The trio momentarily witnesses a supernatural phenomenon before finding themselves in a supernatural research facility. Similar to ‘Bugonia,’ the characters believe that aliens are present and are responsible for the trio’s abduction.
2. Under the Skin (2014)
Based on the eponymous novel by Michel Faber and directed by Jonathan Glazer, ‘Under the Skin’ follows an alien who arrives on Earth under the disguise of a young woman (Scarlett Johansson). Landing in Scotland in particular, she begins to travel across the country and seduce lonely male victims. Luring them into an extraterrestrial dimension, she makes them undergo a process before consuming them. However, with her prolonged stay on Earth, she starts to become more human over time, which leads to unforeseen situations. In ‘Bugonia,’ the arrival and the actions of the alien are exactly what the cousins fear.
1. They Live (1988)
Helmed by John Carpenter, ‘They Live’ is adapted from Ray Nelson’s short story ‘Eight O’Clock in the Morning.’ It chronicles the life of Nada (Roddy Piper), a homeless man who arrives in Los Angeles and starts working in construction. Coincidentally, he comes across a pair of sunglasses that possess the magical power to depict the world as it is, with aliens hidden amidst humans. Nada realizes that the government and media are working together to keep the masses subdued, as most of the elites are themselves aliens. He thus embarks on a mission to save humanity from mind control, much like Teddy in ‘Bugonia.’ Both films have many points of similarity, with characters believing that the world is under the threat of an alien invasion. The characters in each movie believe that many aliens are already present among humans, and take it upon themselves to do something about it.
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