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Yorgos Lanthimos Turns Dark Comedy into a Grim Portrait of Rural Isolation in Bugonia

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  Published in Humor and Quirks on Thursday, December 25th 2025 at 3:54 GMT by Seattle Times
      Locale: UNITED STATES

Bugonia Review: Yorgos Lanthimos Turns Dark Comedy into a Grim Portrait of Rural Isolation

Yorgos Lanthimos, the Greek auteur who made international headlines with The Lobster (2015) and The Favourite (2018), has delivered a new film that feels both a continuation of his signature absurdist vision and a departure into unfamiliar thematic territory. Bugonia—a quiet, unsettling drama that blends deadpan humor with an unflinching look at the hardships of a small, almost forgotten community—was recently showcased at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, where it received a mixture of applause and bewildered silence. The Seattle Times’ film critic, who has been following Lanthimos’ career since his first cinematic offering, provides a thoughtful, multilayered analysis of the movie, dissecting its narrative structure, aesthetic choices, and the emotional resonance of its characters.

The Premise: A Village Beset by Insects and Injustices

The film is set in the fictional town of Bugonia, a desolate, coastal settlement that appears to be perpetually stuck in a low-wattage twilight. The story revolves around the Caskey family, who own the town’s only café and, in a literal sense, serve as the town’s unofficial social center. The protagonist, a young woman named Eliza (played by the rising Greek star Themis Arnaoutis), inherits the café after her father’s unexpected death. Eliza’s attempts to bring new life into the business are continually thwarted by a literal infestation of insects that invade every corner of the town, creating a surreal, almost allegorical sense of dread.

While the premise could easily become a campy, slapstick comedy, Lanthimos chooses instead to keep the humor at a very low, sardonic level. The insects serve as a metaphor for the invisible, everyday burdens that small-town residents carry: financial insecurity, social isolation, and the lingering specter of a post-industrial past that refuses to let go. The film's narrative is deliberately nonlinear, with flashbacks interspersed throughout the story that reveal how the Caskeys became the de facto “townsfolk” despite their own personal shortcomings.

Lanthimos’ Directorial Touch: Absurdist Aesthetics and Subtle Social Commentary

The Seattle Times critic notes that Lanthimos’ direction is unmistakably his own: tight framing, long takes, and a muted color palette that emphasizes the town’s bleak atmosphere. The film’s soundtrack—an almost entirely instrumental score of dissonant strings and ambient sound design—acts as a sonic representation of the town’s anxiety. This auditory backdrop is complemented by the film’s cinematography, which uses wide, static shots to underscore the sense of being trapped within a stifling environment. The director’s choice to keep the camera largely stationary, with the only movement coming from the characters’ bodies, reinforces the feeling of entrapment.

One of the most striking directorial decisions is the way the film treats dialogue. In Lanthimos’ films, the dialogue often feels like a script for a stage play, with characters delivering lines in a measured, almost robotic manner. In Bugonia, however, the characters’ speech takes on a more naturalistic quality, albeit still tinged with a deadpan humor that feels almost like a commentary on the absurdity of everyday life. The critic also points out that the director’s use of humor as a coping mechanism mirrors the way the residents of Bugonia use jokes to survive the constant threat of the insects, both literally and metaphorically.

The Performances: Themis Arnaoutis as Eliza

Arnaoutis gives a strong performance as Eliza, balancing the character’s frustration, determination, and vulnerability. The critic remarks that Arnaoutis’ restrained acting style—her minimal facial expressions and measured breathing—mirrors Lanthimos’ typical style and creates a compelling sense of emotional distance. In one scene, Eliza sits across from her father’s former business partner, and the camera lingers on her face as she says, “I didn’t know how to start again,” allowing the audience to feel the weight of her words without the need for overt acting.

Other key performances come from veteran Greek actors like Christos Vogiatzis (the town’s mayor) and Katerina Gennari (Eliza’s best friend), who bring depth to their roles. The critic underscores how Vogiatzis uses his physical presence to convey the town’s collective frustration, while Gennari offers a counterbalance by providing comedic relief. These supporting roles are essential to the film’s balance of humor and tragedy.

Production Choices: An Authentic yet Surreal Setting

The critic highlights the film’s production design, which is an eclectic mix of real Greek architecture and surreal, almost grotesque set pieces. The set designers used a combination of actual abandoned buildings and digitally added insect colonies to create a dreamlike, unsettling environment. The film’s shooting schedule was unusually long—over six months—due to weather constraints and the director’s insistence on capturing the natural light that gave the film its signature look.

The director also worked with a small crew and relied heavily on improvisation during the filming of certain scenes. In an interview, Lanthimos explained that he wanted the actors to feel like they were part of an ongoing story that they were collectively creating, rather than simply following a rigid script. The Seattle Times critic notes that this approach is effective, especially in scenes where the characters’ conversations flow naturally, as opposed to feeling forced or staged.

Critical Reception: Cannes and Beyond

Bugonia debuted at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival in the “Un Certain Regard” category. Critics were split in their assessment: some praised the film’s ability to blend dark humor with social critique, while others argued that its pacing was too slow and the narrative too opaque. The Seattle Times critic positions the film as a “cautious experiment” that may not appeal to all Lanthimos fans, but still offers a thought-provoking cinematic experience.

In addition to Cannes, the film received positive coverage from Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, and The Guardian. The Guardian’s review praised the film for its “deliberate pacing” and “introspective look at small-town life,” while Variety highlighted Arnaoutis’ performance as “a standout in an otherwise underwhelming ensemble.” The Seattle Times critic notes that the film’s reception has also sparked debate over the relevance of Greek cinema in a global context, with some critics arguing that Bugonia successfully demonstrates that small-scale, culturally specific stories can resonate on an international level.

Final Verdict: A Dark, Grimy Portrait That Leaves You Wanting More

In closing, the Seattle Times’ review concludes that Bugonia is an ambitious, if uneven, attempt at expanding Yorgos Lanthimos’ world. The film’s strengths lie in its authentic depiction of rural hardships, its subtle yet effective humor, and the strong performances of a talented cast. Its weaknesses come from a somewhat ambiguous narrative structure that can leave viewers feeling disoriented, as well as the film’s pacing that may be too measured for some audiences.

Ultimately, the critic recommends the film for those who appreciate “slow-burning” cinema that encourages reflection on social issues and the human condition. For fans of Lanthimos who crave the surrealistic flair of his previous work, Bugonia will be an intriguing new direction that offers both familiarity and novelty. The movie may not deliver the punchy comedy of The Lobster, but it provides a more subdued, poignant exploration of the human tendency to create humor out of hardship—an unsettling, yet deeply resonant, cinematic experience.