If you think Emma Stone and director Yorgos Lanthimos pushed the envelope with "Poor Things," wait until you see "Bugonia." Two years after the duo came to the Lido with their previous Oscar winner, "Poor Things," they returned with a perverse thriller about a female CEO (Stone) who is kidnapped and tortured by one of her employees (Jesse Plemons) — because he suspects that she's an alien. "Bugonia" features push-the-envelope scenes between captor and captive, leaving the Venice audience covering their eyes and gasping at the film's gorier moments. More from Variety Oscar-Nominated Yemeni Scottish Director Sara Ishaq's 'The Station' Follows Women in War-Torn Country Fueled by Sisterhood, Survival Luca Guadagnino-Produced 'Afonso's Smile' Explores a Gay Teen's Coming of Age in Post-Revolution Portugal 'Kill the Jockey' Director Luis Ortega on 'Magnetized,' a 'Crazy Love Story' About a Crack-Smoking Priest on a Murderous Rampage When the final credits rolled, the festival crowd showered "Bugonia" with a six-minute standing ovation that made it clear that this Italian audience ate up what Lanthimos was serving. Stone, Plemons, Lanthimos and the rest of the cast, including Alicia Silverstone, as well as the film's screenwriter Will Tracy, took in the applause while bowing multiple times. Stone, with her husband Dave McCary clapping behind her, even teared up and then laughed through misty eyes as she looked at a sign inside the theater that asked, "Emma, you wanna dance with me?" Earlier on this rainy Thursday night, Stone and Plemons walked the red carpet before entering the Sala Grande Theatre. They dutifully posed for selfies with — and even signed some autographs for — the hordes of fans who gathered in the dreary weather in hopes of catching a glimpse of their favorite stars. The crowd was particularly enthusiastic to see Stone, loudly chanting her first name in unison ("Emma! Emma! Emma!") until she made her way over to the barricades to snap a few photos with them. "Bugonia," an English-language remake of Jang Joon-hwan's 2003 South Korean film "Save the Green Planet," is the fourth collaboration between Lanthimos and Stone following "The Favourite," "Poor Things" and "Kinds of Kindness." Best of Variety Best Labor Day Deals on Samsung, Bose, Criterion Collection and More What's Coming to Disney+ in September 2025 New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Sign up forVariety's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us onFacebook,Twitter, andInstagram.
