Bugonia has been a solid critical success, which might make it a potential spoiler for the current state of the upcoming Oscars race. Starring Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons, Yorgos Lanthimos’ latest subversive satire has the makings of a strong Oscar contender. However, it’s coming up against a crowded field of celebrated films.
At the time of writing, the strong reviews for Bugonia suggest that it will be in contention for some of the bigger awards at the 98th Academy Awards, especially considering the popularity of Emma Stone and Yorgos Lanthimos with the voters. However, given the strength of the competition, it might be hard for the film to pull ahead in most categories.
Bugonia Is A Likely Best Picture Contender
Following a strong critical reception amid Oscar buzz for Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, and Yorgos Lanthimos, Bugonia seems to be a sure-fire track to earn a Best Picture nomination at the 98th Academy Awards. Yorgos Lanthimos has become a consistent presence at the Oscars since The Lobster, which earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay.
The Favourite and Poor Things both earned double-digit nominations, with Olivia Coleman and Lanthimos’ frequent collaborator Emma Stone earning Best Actress for their work in the films. While Kinds of Kindness was a bit of an award season stumble for the filmmaker, the anthology approach and purposefully off-putting approach likely threw voters.
Being a tight social satire driven by strong performances, clever direction, and a subversive screenplay gives Bugonia a better shot at a nomination, especially in a ten-picture race. One Battle After Another, Sinners, Hamnet, Sentimental Value, Marty Supreme, and Wicked: For Good are projected to all be in contention for Best Picture, giving Bugonia a good run for its money.
However, Lanthimos’ art-house cred and the cutting satirical edges surrounding Bugonia‘s commentary will likely earn it enough goodwill to enter the race. Whether it wins or not is a bigger question (and less likely, given the momentum behind other films), but Bugonia‘s critical success makes it a likely nomination.
Bugonia Could Earn Acting Awards, But Face Stiff Competition
Bugonia lives and dies on the performances, so it’s a very good thing that it has a couple of sterling leads to rely on. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the film earn nominations for Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons, with their back-and-forth serving as the main draw of the narrative.
Emma Stone and Yorgos Lanthimos would be only the third ever Director/Actress partnership to earn a Best Actress nomination if she earns the slot, and Stone’s success with the Academy Awards (two wins for Best Actress among five total nominations for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress) suggests Oscars voters like her enough to push her over amid a competitive field.
However, Stone’s relatively recent win for Poor Things at the 96th Academy Awards makes it less likely she’ll walk away with the Oscar this time, especially with Jessie Buckley, Renate Reinsve, and Cynthia Erivo seen as front-runners. Jesse Plemons has delivered plenty of terrific performances in his career but has only ever gotten one nomination at the Oscars.
Plemons does great work in the film, bringing a sympathetic level to the unstable Teddy that never asks the audience to ignore his flaws. This could lead to him getting an “overdue” nomination. Like Stone, though, Plemons could be held back by the strength of his competition.
Leonardo DiCaprio, Timothee Chalamet, Jeremy Allen White, Michael B. Jordan, Wagner Moura, Dwayne Johnson. and Ethan Hawke are also in the race for Best Actor, making Plemons a dark horse to get a nomination, let alone a win. In a weaker year, Aidan Delbis would also be in contention for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as Don.
Delbis may still get some award attention from places like the Golden Globes. However, with Sean Penn, Stellan Skarsgård, Paul Mescal, Benicio del Toro, and Andrew Scott all expected to be in heavy contention for Best Supporting Actor, Delbis isn’t expected to factor too much into the Oscar race.
Bugonia Could Be A Dark Horse For Best Director And Best Adapted Screenplay
Bugonia‘s best chances for Oscar gold might lie in behind-the-scenes categories like Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay. Yorgos Lanthimos is appreciated by the Academy but has never won the Best Director award, giving him a certain “overdue” narrative that Focus Features could lean into during award season.
Lanthimos also does very good work in the film, as well, finding a lot of dynamic energy despite the limited locations and tight sets. It would be a respectable win for the filmmaker. However, the “overdue” narrative would naturally be undercut by One Battle After Another likely having a similar award season narrative.
Anderson is highly celebrated but has yet to earn an Oscar for Best Director, something the success of One Battle After Another might finally address. Coupled with the likelihood of Chloé Zhao, Ryan Coogler, and Joachim Trier earning nominations, Lanthimos will likely be fighting to even just get a nomination in a competitive year.
Bugonia‘s best bet with the Oscars is likely Best Adapted Screenplay. One Battle After Another is expected to be the frontrunner for the award, especially if it picks up momentum as award season carries on. However, voters sometimes use the screenplay categories as a place to honor the work of acclaimed films that aren’t set to win the big award.
Will Tracy’s screenplay based on Jang Joon-hwan’s Save the Green Planet! could be seen as a golden chance to give the film some recognition, a chance to honor Joon-hwan’s career, and a way to celebrate Tracy’s recent successes. Bugonia is a likely nominee for many Oscars — but Best Adapted Screenplay seems to be the film’s most likely chance to win.
Bugonia
8/10
- Release Date
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October 31, 2025
- Runtime
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118 minutes
- Director
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Yorgos Lanthimos
- Writers
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Will Tracy, Jang Joon-hwan
