Bugonia

Bugonia

Year: 2025

Runtime: 1 h 58 m

Director: Yorgos Lanthimos

Echo Score: 77

Budget: $50M

ComedyCrimeSci-Fi

Obsessed with conspiracy theories, two young men kidnap the powerful CEO of a major corporation, convinced that she is an alien entity intent on destroying Earth. Their fanatic belief drives the abduction, setting the stage for a tense confrontation between radical idealism and corporate power.

Warning: spoilers below!

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Timeline & Setting – Bugonia (2025)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Bugonia (2025). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Present-day (2020s)

The events unfold in contemporary times, centered on a pharmaceutical empire, small-town law enforcement, and a paranoid conspiracy. The looming lunar eclipse provides a ticking clock that drives the tension. The setting blends modern technology with ancient myth as the Andromedans reveal their plan.

Location

Teddy and Don's home, Auxolith headquarters, Local hospital, Basement laboratory, Andromedan mothership

Most of the action unfolds around a rural home that doubles as a covert lab with an apiary and a basement where experiments and abduction occur. The plot also roams through the gleaming Auxolith headquarters and a nearby hospital, illustrating the clash between everyday life and dangerous corporate science. The story culminates aboard an Andromedan mothership, signaling a scale beyond Earth.

🌿 Domestic setting 🏢 Corporate environment 🧪 Medical ethics 🛰️ Sci-Fi

Last Updated: November 22, 2025 at 15:24

Main Characters – Bugonia (2025)

Meet the key characters of Bugonia (2025), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Michelle Fuller (Emma Stone)

A high-profile CEO of Auxolith whose poise and intelligence mask a deeper, unsettling truth about the company and its experiments. As the plot unfolds, she becomes an unwilling pivot in a larger alien scheme, balancing charisma with danger.

💼 CEO 🧠 Intelligent 👑 Alien

Teddy Gatz (Jesse Plemons)

Driven by paranoid theories, Teddy spirals into a fanatical belief system that justifies violent actions. His charisma and vulnerability are tangled with a desperate need for control and validation.

🧠 Obsessive 🧭 Controlling 🧪 Scientist

Don (Aidan Delbis)

Teddy’s mentally fragile cousin who is drawn into the plan, wavering between loyalty to Teddy and moral hesitation. His doubts surface as the stakes grow higher and violence escalates.

🤝 Loyal 🧠 Vulnerable 🧭 Follower

Sandy (Alicia Silverstone)

Teddy’s mother and a patient whose medical trials have severe, long-lasting consequences. Her coma and trauma illuminate the human cost of corporate experimentation.

👩‍⚕️ Patient 💔 Victim 🧠 Catalyst

Casey (Stavros Halkias)

A local sheriff with a complicated past who tries to reconnect with Teddy. His involvement reveals guilt, memory, and a pressing sense of accountability.

👮 Sheriff 🕵️‍♂️ Haunted ⚖️ Moral conflict

Andromedan Soldier (Andy Blackburn)

An Andromedan operative encountered in the human world, embodying the extrinsic threat and the aliens’ cold efficiency.

👽 Alien 🛰️ Soldier

Andromedan Elder (Stella Bizirtsaki)

A senior Andromedan figure who hints at ancient knowledge and the broader cosmic plan behind Earth’s “experiment.”

🧭 Elder 🗺️ Wisdom

Andromedan Scholar (Janlyn Bales)

A mind within the Andromedan network whose perspective reveals a distant, calculated outlook on humanity.

📚 Scholar 🧠 Analyst

Andromedan Diplomat (Diana Duah)

A diplomat within the Andromedan ranks whose presence emphasizes communication and manipulation in a larger strategy.

🗨️ Diplomat 🧭 Strategist

Last Updated: November 22, 2025 at 15:24

Major Themes – Bugonia (2025)

Explore the central themes of Bugonia (2025), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

🕵️‍♂️ Obsession

A single-minded search for hidden truths drives Teddy and Don, warping their grip on reality. Their conspiracy becomes justification for harm and coercion, pulling others into a dangerous mission. The film critiques how zeal without accountability can erode morality and threaten innocent lives. It also questions how trust and delusion can masquerade as certainty.

🧬 Ethics

Auxolith's medical trials on Sandy and other patients reveal the cost of unregulated scientific ambition. The pursuit of a cure or human advancement is tangled with abuse, deception, and the devaluation of patient consent. The narrative critiques corporate greed and the erosion of medical ethics under profit-driven motives. Consequences are stark and personal, culminating in tragedy.

🐝 Ecology

The dying bees serve as a constant ecological metaphor for the fragility of systems when humans interfere with nature. The conspirators’ plans threaten not just individuals but the delicate balance of the environment. Even as the human conflict escalates, the bees’ fate mirrors the broader consequences of reckless science. The ending hints that healing the planet may require more than solving a crime.

🌌 Cosmic Threat

The Andromedans frame humanity as a failed experiment in a broader cosmos. The revelation of an ancient invasion and a mothership introduces a scale that dwarfs personal vendettas. The Earth’s destruction in the climactic moment underscores a grim view of humanity’s place in the universe. The film juxtaposes intimate terror with existential awe.

Last Updated: November 22, 2025 at 15:24

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Explore Movie Threads

Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.

Claustrophobic thrillers of dangerous delusion like Bugonia

Tense stories where characters are trapped by their own dangerous beliefs.A collection of movies like Bugonia where characters are confined by dangerous beliefs. If you liked the tense psychological battle between a delusional kidnapper and a powerful captive in Bugonia, you'll find similar stories of fanaticism and claustrophobic dread here.

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Narrative Summary

These narratives typically unfold in a single, oppressive location. A character with a rigid, often paranoid worldview takes another hostage, believing their actions are justified by a higher purpose. The story explores the breakdown of this belief system under pressure, often culminating in violent and bleak consequences.

Why These Movies?

Movies are grouped here for their shared focus on the volatile dynamics of a forced, close-quarters confrontation between idealism and reality. They share a dark tone, high psychological intensity, and a steady pacing that builds unbearable tension towards a tragic conclusion.

Movies with cosmic horror from human paranoia like Bugonia

Stories where human conspiracy theories manifest into apocalyptic reality.Discover movies similar to Bugonia, where paranoid conspiracy theories lead to apocalyptic consequences. If you enjoyed the twist that the kidnappers' alien invasion fears were horrifyingly real, these films explore the bleak intersection of mental illness and cosmic truth.

unsettlingparanoidcosmic dreadtragicabsurdanxiousgrim

Narrative Summary

The narrative follows characters who are initially dismissed as crazy or fanatical. Their investigations or actions, driven by a belief in a hidden cosmic threat, gradually uncover evidence that their worst fears are fact. The story's emotional journey is one of accelerating validation and despair, culminating in a bleak, often world-ending, revelation.

Why These Movies?

These films are connected by their unique blend of psychological thriller and cosmic horror. They share a bleak tone, heavy emotional weight, and a central theme: the ultimate horror of being right. The pacing is steady, methodically building from personal paranoia to existential catastrophe.

Unlock the Full Story of Bugonia

Don't stop at just watching — explore Bugonia in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what Bugonia is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.

Bugonia Summary

Read a complete plot summary of Bugonia, including all key story points, character arcs, and turning points. This in-depth recap is ideal for understanding the narrative structure or reviewing what happened in the movie.

Bugonia Summary

Bugonia Timeline

Track the full timeline of Bugonia with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.

Bugonia Timeline

Bugonia Ending Explained

What really happened at the end of Bugonia? This detailed ending explained page breaks down final scenes, hidden clues, and alternate interpretations with expert analysis and viewer theories.

Bugonia Ending Explained

Bugonia Spoiler-Free Summary

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Bugonia Spoiler-Free Summary

More About Bugonia

Visit What's After the Movie to explore more about Bugonia: box office results, cast and crew info, production details, post-credit scenes, and external links — all in one place for movie fans and researchers.

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