Don’t forget about Jesse

Bugonia is the big gala tonight in Venice as Yorgos Lanthimos and his muse, Emma Stone, were on the red carpet, along with his other and newer muse, Jesse Plemons, for the premiere. Alicia Silverstone is also a member of the cast. 

Earlier in the day Team Bugonia was at the photo call and press conference where Yorgos talked about his hopes for his latest film. Per The Hollywood Reporter: 

“Again, unfortunately, not much of the dystopia in this film is very fictional. A lot of it is very reflective of the real world,” he said, adding that when one hears the word dystopia, people often think of an image of the future and whatever event has happened to civilization. “If anything, this film says this is happening now. Actually, it became more relevant as time went by. Humanity is facing a reckoning very soon. People need to choose the right path, otherwise, I don’t know how much time [left] with everything that’s happening in the world, with technology, AI, with wars, climate change, the denial of all these things and how desensitized we’ve become to all of these things. [The movie] is more of a reflection of our times and hopefully it will trigger people to think about what’s happening today, all around the world.”

A new trailer for Bugonia just dropped today – Emma plays Michelle, a corporate executive, and Jesse is the environmentalist who kidnaps her because he thinks she’s an alien who will bring the downfall of the planet. Alien here might be a euphemism for billionaire. Early reviews of the film are just now starting to be published and from what I’ve read, they’re positive, not overwhelmingly positive, but definitely on the plus side, with the highlight being the chemistry between Emma and Jesse. She already has two Oscars, as we know, and is being talked about as a possibility for a nomination this year. Jesse, meanwhile, was nominated last year for Best Supporting Actor in Yorgos’s Kinds of Kindness. He too is on the predictions list for another invitation by the Academy. 

With Jesse, it’s only a matter of time. He is widely regarded to be one of the very best in the business right now, with quality performances stacking one on top of the other, and seemingly at the top of every director’s wish list. If ten years from now he hasn’t won one, he’ll probably be near the top of the “overdue” chart.  

Back to Emma – it was Louis Vuitton all day. As has been the trend the last few years with Emma + LV, I am underwhelmed by this bubble mullet dress but I remain obsessed with her in short hair. 

Here’s the trailer for Bugonia, set to Chappell Roan’s “Good Luck, Babe!"...

 

…but I’m much more interested in another song that is apparently featured in the film. In his review for The Hollywood Reporter, David Rooney mentions that Pete Seeger’s “Where Have All The Flowers Gone” is part of the soundtrack, but the version performed by Marlene Dietrich, OMGGG. This is one of the first English-language songs I can remember learning as a child. It’s gorgeous but Marlene takes it to a whole other level. If you haven’t seen this before, please watch.