“Bugonia,” directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, is a 2025 black comedy that delves into the psyche of Teddy Gatz, a conspiracy theorist who believes the CEO of the pharmaceutical co. he works for, Michelle Fuller, is an alien out to destroy humanity. He kidnaps and imprisons her in his basement, intent on gaining the information he needs to meet with the alien “emperor” and broker a deal to save the world. The film explores themes of alien conspiracy, corporate malfeasance, and personal trauma. Overall, the storyline is grisly, chaotic, and insane.
Like any work of art, filtering it through a Creation-Fall-Redemption framework is helpful for thinking about it from a Christian worldview. It limits analysis to the major themes of the Bible and helps simplify complex stories.
In terms of Creation: A positive theme of the film is the commendable awareness of the beauty and complexity of nature, especially the role of honeybees in food production. Teddy is rightly outraged by what he perceives to be a disregard for the health of bee colonies and the effects of corporate greed. The narrative’s exploration of corporate ethics implicitly points to our duty to be good stewards over natural resources and to care for the beautiful world God made. This theme is implicit, however, since the only time God’s name is mentioned in the film is when it is used as a curse word.
The film also promotes the idea that humans were created by alien life, and that biological evolution was the method they used. The idea that aliens kick-started life is not new and has even been put forth by eminent scientists such as Nobel Prize winner, Francis Crick (1916-2004) and evolutionary biologist, Richard Dawkins (b. 1941). In their efforts to deny God’s existence, they desperately propose alternative explanations for the rise of life from non-life. Rather than acknowledge God as the Creator and give Him thanks, they look to outer space for an explanation. Many will laugh at this idea or dismiss it, but “Bugonia” works to normalize this theory, especially with the plot twist at the end.
In Terms of the Fall: The biblical concept of moral accountability is absent from the film. Since Teddy believes Michelle and other “Andromedans” are destroying humanity, he has become a serial killer with a mission. Teddy has convinced himself that any manner of torture, mutilation, and murder is justified in order to save the world from aliens. The voice of conscience that comes through his intellectually disabled cousin, Don, is of no effect and ultimately silenced by Don’s suicide. For most of the film, the narrative suggests it is not human sin, but evil aliens which cause the evil and suffering in the world. The film’s narrative generally shifts evil and suffering to external forces until the very end, and only then does it shift blame to humanity.
Teddy’s lack of moral awareness recalls the idea in Scripture that repeated and unrepentant sin sears the conscience, numbing it to the suffering of others (I Tim. 4:2). It also echoes the biblical theme that “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” (Jer. 17:9). If “Bugonia” does anything well, it reminds us of the depths of wickedness to which the human heart can descend since the fall (Gen. 3).
In terms of Redemption: There is none. Really, none. The only part of the story that remotely hints at a redemptive aspect is Teddy’s love for his mother, who is comatose due to an experimental drug made by Michelle’s company. His efforts to expose the aliens and save the planet stems, to some degree, from his desire to avenge her suffering. But even this relationship is offset by flashbacks tracing his psychosis to his mother’s abuse and instability.
The ending tries to suggest some sort of justice, but it is painless and unsatisfying. There is no genuine love, no justice, and no hope in “Bugonia.” There is no good reason to watch it at all.
Epistemology in “Bugonia”:
The most fruitful idea for discussion related to the film is perhaps a discussion on epistemology.
The study of knowledge (epistemology) is important when it comes to conspiracy theories. How does Teddy know aliens exist? He does not know by sense perceptions alone (empiricism) nor by reason alone (rationalism), but by a continuous feed-back loop of information he obtains from his “research.” His delusions are fueled by an inherent distrust of authority and circular reasoning, which confirms his beliefs in spite of ambiguous or contradictory evidence. Importantly, his starting point for knowledge is his belief that aliens exist, and every experience is interpreted by that belief. Teddy has “alien glasses” on and he can only see the world through those lenses. And this is a critical point for Christians to consider.
Everyone has presuppositions, and these presuppositions will determine how you view God, humanity, and the world around you.
What is Christian epistemology?
The Bible tells us the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge (Prov. 1:7). It also says all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Christ (Col. 2:3). The Christian starting point, or “lens” we look through, is the revealed word of God in the Bible. That is why reformed Christian epistemology is called revelational epistemology. Christians begin with the word of God because He is the Creator and He alone is able to tell us who we are and what the world is like. We also know that God tells us the truth about things and never lies (Heb. 6:18). By beginning our pursuit of knowledge with Bible glasses on, we are able to interpret the world around us and make sense of things as they really are.
What can we say to someone caught up in extraterrestrial conspiracies? In addition to praying for them, we can continually point them back to Scripture in order to become properly oriented to reality. Going back to the Bible reminds us “what man is to believe concerning God, and what duty God requires of man” (WC, Q5). Ultimately, “the Spirit of God, bearing witness by and with the Scriptures in the heart of man” (WC, Q4), convinces us that the Bible is true and keeps our mind and hearts firmly planted in reality.