28 November 2025
BUGONIA ***1/2
There’s a single-minded conspiracy theorist who believes he’s found the one alien who can lead him to saving our corrupt, degenerating world. And there is his docile, naive best-buddy whom he’s training to assist him in a wild scheme to kidnap the supposed alien – the razor-sharp female CEO of a top tech company.
Yorgos Lanthimos, who has built an impressive reputation as a Greek director of surrealistic, bombastic, multi award-winning films such as “The Lobster”, “The Favourite” and “Poor Things”, is at it again. This time his tale starts off as an austere, lengthy conversation piece between the two conspirators, and then the introduction of their ultra-ambitious prey and her lifestyle. It can be tiresome and unnerving, but hang in there.
It will get more daunting, yet more intellectually thrilling, as we become witness to her capture and her imprisonment by these two obsessed fellows.
Two of Lanthimos’ favourite actors, Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons, give their all in this riveting cat-and-mouse game, along with an impressive performance by the young autistic newcomer, Aidan Delbis. There should be quite a few Oscar nominations here.
Machiavelli’s famous “the end justifies the means” describes this allegory quite perfectly. Heed it and be blown away!
(By the way, the title Bugonia comes from ancient Greece, referring to the symbolic disappearance and decay of bees – you’ll see the connection in the film.)
VIE PRIVÉE (A Private Life) ** (vo French)
I was looking forward to seeing Jodie Foster in this all-French production also starring Daniel Auteuil and Virginie Efira. (The reason Foster speaks fluent French is because as a child she attended the Lycée Français in Los Angeles.)
The film, by Rebecca Zlotowski (of such fine works as “Grand Central” and “Les enfants des autres”), starts off with great promise. About a psychiatrist (Foster) who finds out that one of her patients (Efira) has committed suicide, it initially feels like an intriguing quest into the roles of responsibility and guilt within the practice of psychiatry.
Instead, the scenario veers off into a supposed thriller, with her chasing down the idea that her patient was murdered. A lot of silly, overblown incidents ensue, including a renewed affair with her ex-husband (Auteuil). So the interesting psychiatric quest is discarded, and the film turns into a foolish whodunnit and an elderly romantic foray.
Pity the excellent Foster and her talented costars in this warped script.
Superb **** Very Good *** Good ** Mediocre * Miserable – no stars
By Neptune
Neptune Ravar Ingwersen reviews film extensively for publications in Switzerland. She views 4 to 8 films a week and her aim is to sort the wheat from the chaff for readers.
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