Bugonia
Yorgos Lanthimos is SO back! While Kinds of Kindness wasn’t exactly bad, I still gave it a 8.25/10, it wasn’t quite the peak cinema I’ve come to expect from him, and Bugonia is peak cinema. Though, it’s a much simpler plot and set than say Poor Things, and that limits the upside a bit for me, it’s super fun, and just a brilliant actor’s showcase. Aidan Delbis, an autistic actor, who plays an autistic character in Bugonia is absolutely incredible, and really sells the household that he and Jesse Plemons live in and the majority of this movie is set in. As you would expect, Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons absolutely FEAST in this, and this might be my new favorite Jesse Plemons role, surpassing his legendary performance in season 2 of Fargo. He’s seriously so good. I say this is a must watch, and as E says, the more you go in blind, the better. A 9.08 puts this at a tie with Sinners for 2nd best movie of the year, behind only One Battle After Another (9.5).
-Z
Wow, what a ride! I’m really glad I went into this completely blind. Really keeps you on your toes with a surprising amount of humor thrown in. Jesse Plemons once again masters the art of acting purely unsettling. Watching this in a very small, hot theater filled with incredibly vocal audience members definitely added to the aesthetic.
-E
We now have a race. What is the best film I have seen in 2025? Maybe this! Initially I left a bit disappointed, as I had extremely unrealistic expectations with it being my favorite actress and top tier actor Jesse Plemmons and directed by Yorgos. Once I slept on it, I spent the entire next day thinking about it and actually want to go again! A completely different kind of movie with next level acting is always going to turn heads. I don’t know if it will win any awards as it is a bit out there, but it deserves them and I hope it does!
-J
