Bugonia Makes Waves at Venice Film Festival with Standing Ovation and Rave Reviews

Venice, Italy, August 28, 2025 - Yorgos Lanthimos’s sci-fi black comedy Bugonia premiered this evening in competition at the 82nd Venice Film Festival, earning immediate acclaim from both critics and audiences.

In a display of enthusiasm rarely seen at the Lido, Bugonia concluded its screening with a six-minute standing ovation, led by an emotional Emma Stone and co-star Jesse Plemons, to the delight of the packed Grande Sala crowd. Stone, who shaved her head for the role of Michelle-a high-powered pharmaceutical CEO accused of being an alien-was visibly moved, even laughing through tears as fans held up signs in support.

Early critical reactions have been overwhelmingly positive. Deadline’s Pete Hammond hailed the film as a “wild ride” and a return to form for Lanthimos, praising “bravura performances” from Stone and a “magnificently unhinged” Plemons. Vulture’s review noted that Lanthimos’s signature blend of surreal metaphor and melancholic undercurrent emerges more vividly in Bugonia than ever before, calling it “perhaps the saddest film he’s ever made” while commending its grounding in real-world characters.

Time magazine’s Stephanie Zacharek underscored the film’s dark humor and pointed social commentary, highlighting its exploration of conspiracy culture and ecological anxieties through gruesome yet artfully shot sequences of electric torture and bee metaphors. The film’s chilling tension and arch irony reinforce Lanthimos’s reputation for confronting humanity’s follies with detached, ironic scrutiny.

Bugonia-an English-language remake of the South Korean cult classic Save the Green Planet!-stars Jesse Plemons as Teddy, an embittered beekeeper, Aidan Delbis as his cousin Donny, and Emma Stone as their captive CEO. With production support from Ari Aster and a cast that includes Alicia Silverstone and Stavros Halkias, the film is slated for a limited U.S. release on October 24, expanding wide on October 31.

As Venice delegates continue to buzz, Bugonia appears poised to join Water Lilies, The Lobster, and Poor Things in cementing Lanthimos’s place among contemporary cinema’s most audacious auteurs.