Bugonia - Lanthimos in 4K: Between Madness and Alien Satire

With Bugonia, director Yorgos Lanthimos returns to the unstable ground that is now his signature: unsettling stories, off-kilter characters, and a reality that always seems on the verge of distortion. Freely inspired by the Korean film Save the Green Planet!, the director constructs a narrative that begins as a paranoid farce and slowly transforms into something more ambiguous.

Two cousins convinced they have discovered an alien invasion kidnap a powerful executive, persuaded that she is the key to saving the planet. From here, a narrative game unfolds that alternates between absurdity and unease, never offering the viewer secure footholds. Lanthimos doesn't just ridicule conspiracy theorists: he places them on the same level as those who judge them, creating a satire that strikes in multiple directions.

Filming Against the Rules, Seeing Beyond the Scheme

Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons at the center of the scene confirm their synergy with the Greek author. She is controlled and elusive, he is surprisingly natural even in the most grotesque moments: together they bring balance to a film that thrives on its contradictions.

Less visually striking than other works by the director, Bugonia focuses more on writing and the dynamics between characters. Not everything works at the same level, especially in the ending, but it remains an unconventional work, capable of eliciting smiles and at the same time unsettling. Here is Elisa Giudici's complete artistic review.

Analogically shot outside the typical “rectangular” shooting schemes, in this case with a more vertical frame expansion in 1.50:1 “Side Matted” format (3840 x 2160/23.97p), HEVC encoding on a triple-layer BD-100. At the hardware level, a battalion of cameras was used: Arricam ST, Arriflex 235 for aerial drone shots, Arriflex 435 and 435 Advanced, Beaumont VistaVision Camera, Wilcam W-11. The latter two with Panavision lens prototypes developed for the film. The same goes for 35mm films, including 8-perf (thus double the area of a typical 4-perforation negative), also horizontal scrolling and an incredible volume of ASA sensitivity: Kodak from 50, 250 and 500 ASA + Kodak B/W with variable ASA between 250 and 500 ASA.

The result is technically a reference, even if the chromatic and dynamic extension of the lights is only supported by HDR-10 (the Dolby Vision indication on the back cover is incorrect), for a spectacle that would deserve a native 10-bit screen, as in the case of our Panasonic Z85. Deep blacks, even brilliant whites, incredible realism with a very slight grain at the base.

The Italian Dolby Digital 5.1 track (640 kbps) is sufficient, offering acceptable sound diffusion with discrete channels in the presence of a true HT system, between dialogues and musical accompaniment. The work gains greater body and involvement only with the original Dolby TrueHD 7.1.4 with ATMOS objects, which despite 16 bits knows how to engage.

Included is a behind-the-scenes featurette in which Lanthimos recounts the genesis of the project: the cast reflects on the on-set experience, with particular attention to Stone's physical transformation and the famous hair-shaving scene. Italian subtitles included.

Bugonia limited 4K steelbook edition

36,99

30,11

The limited edition steelbook, the only one to offer 4K, includes the BD-50 with the 2K version and the same audio tracks.