Emma Stone stars as Michelle Fuller in director Yorgos Lanthimos' 'Bugonia.' Atsushi Nishijima/Focus Features Share on Facebook Share on X Share to Flipboard Send an Email Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Print the Article Post a Comment Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone's doom-laden black comedy-thriller Bugonia stupefied and delighted the Venice Film Festival on Thursday night, drawing a rousing six-minute standing ovation after its world premiere inside the Italian water city's Sala Grande cinema. From their perch on the theater's balcony, Lanthimos, Stone and co-stars Jessie Plemons and Aidan Delbis joined hands and bowed to the crowd in unison as the lengthy applause wound down. Throughout the film's two-hour runtime, the Venice premiere crowd alternated between stunned silence and bouts of laughter in reaction to the story's "explosive violence, bursts of slapstick physical comedy and satirical jabs," as The Hollywood Reporter's chief critic summed up the film's "weird twists" in a rave review. Related Stories Movies 'Bugonia' Review: Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons Battle Over Doomed Humanity in Yorgos Lanthimos' Loopy Dark Comedy About Our Planet in Peril Movies Emma Stone Reveals "Coping Mechanism" for Navigating Fame: Thinking of Herself as an Avatar Bugonia finds Stone starring alongside another Lanthimos collaborator in Plemons and fellow cast members Aidan Delbis, Stavros Halkias and Alicia Silverstone. A remake of Korean director Jang Joon Hwan's 2001 cult classic Save the Green Planet!, Lanthimos's film follows two conspiracy-obsessed young men who kidnap the high-powered CEO of a major company, convinced that she is an alien intent on destroying planet Earth. The Focus Features release is one of the more hotly anticipated titles here on the Lido as it marks yet another reteaming of Lanthimos and his muse following their critically acclaimed Poor Things. That film won four Oscars, including a second best actress prize for Stone, and best achievement in production design for James Price, Shona Heath and Zsusza Mihalek, costume design for Holly Waddington and makeup and hairstyling for Nadia Stacey, Mark Coulier and Josh Weston. Bugonia follows a more recent partnership, Kinds of Kindness, which debuted at the Cannes Film Festival and went on to divide critics and audiences and receive far less love at the box office. Bugonia could soon mark a return to mainstream embrace for the duo, thanks to its shocking premise, powerful performances and zeitgeist-skewering themes and flourishes. The 82nd Venice Film Festival runs Aug. 27-Sept. 6. THR Newsletters Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day Subscribe Sign Up Venice Film Festival 2025 'Jay Kelly' Review: George Clooney Plays the Movie Star but Adam Sandler Shines Brightest in Noah Baumbach's Sentimental Comedy-Drama Yorgos Lanthimos Emma Stone Is Kidnapped and Accused of Being an Alien in Yorgos Lanthimos' 'Bugonia' Trailer SXSW Neon Boards Damian McCarthy's 'Hokum,' Starring Adam Scott Toronto Film Festival Lola Tung, Nico Parker to Star in Osgood Perkins' 'The Young People' Yorgos Lanthimos 'Bugonia' Review: Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons Battle Over Doomed Humanity in Yorgos Lanthimos' Loopy Dark Comedy About Our Planet in Peril Venice Film Festival 2025 'Orphan' Review: 'Son of Saul' Director László Nemes Draws on His Father's Childhood in Sluggish but Ultimately Poignant Postwar Drama Venice Film Festival 2025 'Jay Kelly' Review: George Clooney Plays the Movie Star but Adam Sandler Shines Brightest in Noah Baumbach's Sentimental Comedy-Drama Yorgos Lanthimos Emma Stone Is Kidnapped and Accused of Being an Alien in Yorgos Lanthimos' 'Bugonia' Trailer SXSW Neon Boards Damian McCarthy's 'Hokum,' Starring Adam Scott Toronto Film Festival Lola Tung, Nico Parker to Star in Osgood Perkins' 'The Young People' Yorgos Lanthimos 'Bugonia' Review: Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons Battle Over Doomed Humanity in Yorgos Lanthimos' Loopy Dark Comedy About Our Planet in Peril Venice Film Festival 2025 'Orphan' Review: 'Son of Saul' Director László Nemes Draws on His Father's Childhood in Sluggish but Ultimately Poignant Postwar Drama