About “Bugonia” in a few words:

Bugonia is a dark, offbeat sci-fi thriller directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, inspired by the cult Korean film Save the Green Planet!. The story circles around paranoia, power, and the thin line between truth and obsession. A seemingly ordinary CEO may or may not be an alien threat to humanity, while a group of deeply unbalanced people take it upon themselves to “save the world.” It’s uncomfortable, funny, tense — and never simple.

Meet the characters from Bugonia

Michelle

Michelle is the kind of person who bursts into a room with a plan and three tangential anecdotes about moths, and somehow you’re convinced those tangents are part of the plan. She runs on caffeine-free tea (yes, she insists) and a ridiculous amount of stubborn optimism — equal parts doer and over-sharer. A natural leader who forgets her keys but never forgets a promise, she cares ferociously and will reorganize your life with sticky notes if you let her. Also: she’s strangely allergic to bees but runs an insect conservatory, which she waves away like it’s a tiny scandal.

Teddy

Teddy is warm and chaotic in the best way, the kind of friend who shows up with half-finished inventions and a pocket full of mismatched buttons (also maybe a cookie). He’s endlessly curious, nervy, quick to laugh, and alarmingly good at calming panicked moths — and people — with the same soft, ridiculous humming. He’s secretly precise when it matters (label maker, yes), but will drop everything for a midnight stakeout just to watch fireflies do their thing. Oh and he lies about being bad at small talk, which is adorable and untrue.

Don

Don looks like he shouldn’t be sentimental but definitely is — gruff, practical, and low-key theatrical when he thinks no one’s watching. He’s the steady, slightly exasperated anchor of the group: practical advice, dry jokes, and this weird habit of carrying poetry in his back pocket (literal or figurative, I never asked). He keeps everyone grounded yet will surprise you with a perfectly timed, hopelessly romantic gesture (in a very Don way). Also he insists the garage is tidy but there is definitely a pile of things that is “organized chaos,” which is true? maybe.