Blank Check with Griffin & David: Critical Darlings

Episode: Bugonia And The (Oscar) Favourites with Marie Bardi-Salinas

Date: February 5, 2026

Episode Overview

In this critical darlings installment, hosts Richard Lawson and Alison Wilmore (with guest Marie Bardi-Salinas) take a deep-dive into Yorgos Lanthimos’s “Bugonia,” discussing its surprising Oscar success, the ongoing evolution of Lanthimos as a Hollywood favorite, Emma Stone’s career trajectory and frequent collaborations, and the state of awards-season independent cinema. The conversation also compares “Bugonia” to similar films, analyzes its themes and emotional impact, and incorporates a lively, sardonic tone throughout.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Sundance 2026 Debrief

[00:52 – 18:40]

• Sundance’s Identity Crisis: The last year in Park City before moving to Boulder brought underwhelming films and a sense of fatigue (“…it felt like I was watching a lot of Tribeca movies.”—[01:36] B).
• Festival Economics: Current incentives push indies to act as “auditions for Apple TV” ([02:12] C). Notably, major premieres, such as the Charli XCX doc “The Moment,” felt overly branded, hinting at festival/festival-goer dissonance ([04:25] E, [05:06] A).
• Distribution and Awards Strategy: Should festivals exclude pre-sold titles? The Olivia Wilde film “The Invite” (A24’s big buy), “Josephine” (potential acting contender), and others represent strategic buying and Oscar plays ([05:48] B, [07:27] B).
• Changing Film Ecosystem: Distribution is dominated by streamers, leading to high sales for films like “Coda,” “Palm Springs,” “What’s Inside,” but not always successful audience impact ([10:25] C, [13:19] B).
• Buyers’ Mania: Stories about overenthusiastic buyers (e.g., Amazon’s Jen Salke years) and the dangers of “Sundance delirium” ([15:34] B, [15:51] C, [16:36] C).
• Festival Crowd Psychology: The urge to “witness” a new Little Miss Sunshine and the self-congratulation inherent in festival applause is described ([17:00] B).

2. Yorgos Lanthimos: From Dogtooth to Oscar Darling

[24:26 – 41:40]

• Lanthimos’s Surprising Path: How did such a “weird, grim” filmmaker become beloved by the Academy? The group traces his progression: “Dogtooth” (shockingly nominated for Foreign Language Oscar), “The Lobster,” “The Favourite,” and now “Bugonia” ([24:26] C, [26:04] B).
• Oscars and Auteurism: Genres and styles that used to be Oscar-averse (absurdism, dark satire) are now rewarded, often due to a changing, more international Academy ([33:46] B).
• Hollywood’s “Acceptable Cool”: Lanthimos is “the Academy’s acceptable brand of arty” ([35:49] B).

3. Emma Stone & The Actor-Director Symbiosis

[36:10 – 44:39]

• Stone’s Oscar Surge: Her transformation into “the Millennial Meryl Streep” came as a surprise; her repeated collaborations with Lanthimos enhance actors’ appeal to his projects ([40:03] A, [41:23] B).
• Possible Backlash: “There was a kind of grumble…can’t she work with a different filmmaker?” ([39:35] B). The “Too Many Nominations?” question surfaces.
• Comparative Trajectories: Referencing Jennifer Lawrence’s earlier streak, and how actors risk overexposure ([41:40] B).

4. Partnerships in Contemporary Cinema

[43:30] onwards

• Recurring Collaborations: The trend toward “artistic partnerships” between actor and director (e.g., Ryan Coogler/Michael B. Jordan, Renata Reinsve/Joachim Trier) is explored.
• Emma Stone as Producer: Stone’s dual role as actor and producer in the recent wave of buzzy indie films is noted and compared favorably to less subtle “star vehicles” ([77:16] B).

Deep Dive: Bugonia and Its Reception

5. Initial Impressions & Festival Buzz

• Everyone’s “Honey” Story: Personal anecdotes about first screenings (NYC premiere with free honey, eating hot honey pizza, home streaming) tie into the film’s bee motif and underline shifting film-release windows ([23:04] C-[24:22] B).
• Mixed Reviews to Accrued Respect: “At first, it wasn’t my favorite Yorgos movie… but on rewatch, I found more to appreciate”—critics’ reappraisals mirror industry buzz ([24:26] C).

6. Plot & Thematic Analysis (No Spoilers)

[51:15 – 62:51, plot and then spoilers from [62:55])

Basic Premise

• Setup: In Georgia, a working-class warehouse worker/conspiracist (Jesse Plemons) kidnaps a pharma CEO (Emma Stone) believing she’s an alien, seeking leverage with the “Emperor.” He and his cousin Don plot to “save the world” via this act ([53:26] C).
• Bee Metaphor & Class Warfare: Bees (and the honey motif) reflect both industry (Emma’s “hive” office) and decline (colony collapse). The class tension between captor and captive is clear, “the girl boss of girl bosses” vs. the powerless ([57:15] A, [55:53] A).
• Corporate Satire: Stone’s Michelle deploys cringe-inducing corporate jargon and hollow virtue-signaling, with dialogue that is “so LinkedIn speak” ([57:43] E, [57:53] C).

Misanthropy, Satire, and Empathy

• Balance of Sympathy: Bugonia is more empathetic than expected; unlike “Eddington,” it finds “a little more pathos…sadly empathetic, not just making fun of these people” ([33:46] B).
• Cultural Relevance: The script’s delicate touch, surprising nuance, and even discomfort bring “cathartic” recognition to deeply online viewers ([52:50] B).
• Quote: “I kept waiting for the movie to tip its hand and be like, ‘oh, well, this is the person you’re supposed to agree with.’ And it just refuses to do that.”—[59:03] B

7. Spoiler Section

[62:55 – 72:57]

Major Revelations & Themes:

• Yes, She’s an Alien: The movie eventually confirms the abduction beliefs—Emma Stone is indeed not from this world ([63:16] B).
• Twist on Humanity’s Flaws: The real rug pull isn’t just her identity, but that “the aliens didn’t ruin us, we did,” echoing an unfixable, original human sin. “There’s something fundamentally sick about humanity… just soul deep.”—[66:55] C
• Plemons’s Pathos and Violence: The audience’s sympathy is further challenged by discovering Teddy is a serial killer, with Don (Stavros Halkias) as an unwitting accomplice and ultimately a tragic, blameless victim ([65:27] E, [68:08] C).
• Global Finale: Humanity is eradicated in a moment of “unifying mass death”—every class, every nation, “a connection, right?” ([67:29] A).

Memorable Quotes:

• On the bleak cosmic message:
  “It’s really uncharitable, not just to a certain faction…but to everybody.”—[66:13] B
• On the mind-bending twist:
  “You guys are the kind of misbegotten, worst version of us. We tried to fix you. You’re unfixable.”—[64:01] C
• On the bee motif:
  “The music in this is awesome—like, bee-like, it’s buzzing the entire time.”—[57:43] E

8. Performance Highlights

• Emma Stone: “She is very funny in this movie…Her hand has been forced.”—[60:58] A, [69:48] C
• Jesse Plemons: “So good, I wish he got nominated”—the role’s “greasiness” and tragic trajectory get particular praise ([61:17] C, [62:42] A).
• Stavros Halkias as Don: The cousin’s fate is genuinely tragic, “oblivious,” gentle, yet heartwrenchingly loving; his death “shocking” and symbolic ([68:08] C).

Other Notable Moments

• AI, Fake Reviews, and Identity: The hosts have fun noticing that a fake “Richard Lawson” byline article pops up online, “an Andromedan other me,” perfectly on-theme with the film’s concerns about alienation, authenticity, and digital weirdness ([90:01] E–[92:54] B).
• Super Bowl Ads as Auteur Playgrounds: A late episode detour critiques the trend of major film auteurs directing big-budget commercials (Yorgos & Emma’s Squarespace ad; Taika Waititi’s Jurassic Park spot; Wes Anderson’s AmEx ads) ([82:51] A, [83:59] B).
• Emma Stone’s Producer Role: There is admiration for Stone’s producing behind indie darlings (“I Saw the TV Glow,” “A Real Pain”), which also ties into the actor/producer discourse ([77:16] B, [77:47] A).

Notable Quotes & Time Stamps

• “It felt like I was watching a lot of Tribeca movies.” – [01:36] B
• “Sundance Delirium. People go wild for this at the premiere…they must have it.” – [15:36] C
• “Who would have guessed that Yorgos Lanthimos would become an Oscar darling?” – [24:44] C
• “I think the Academy has decided Lanthimos is their acceptable brand of arty.” – [35:49] B
• “When nominations are read and people groan a little when they hear your name—even if they like you in the movie. I think that’s a problem.” – [45:13] B
• “It’s cathartic…hearing a character in a glossy movie say, ‘I read that thinkpiece in The New York Times.’” – [52:50] B
• “You might as well just scrap it and start over.” – [67:03] C

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Time | Segment | |:-------------|:----------------------------------------------------| | 00:52–18:40 | Sundance 2026 recap & indie film marketplace | | 24:26–41:40 | Yorgos Lanthimos filmography & Oscar embrace | | 36:10–44:39 | Emma Stone’s career and actor-director dynamics | | 51:15–62:51 | Plot, thematic analysis, and performances (no spoilers) | | 62:55–72:57 | Spoilers and endgame discussion | | 77:16–78:34 | Emma Stone as producer, actor/director partnerships | | 82:51–86:40 | Filmmaker-directed Super Bowl ads | | 90:01–93:20 | AI, identity, & fake articles meta-discussion | | 88:07–89:39 | Will Lanthimos ever win Best Director? |

Final Reflections & Awards Prognosis

• Bugonia’s Oscar Chances: Hosts agree—nominations are its ceiling; it’s unlikely to win major categories, especially with so many prior nods but few wins for Lanthimos himself ([88:02] B–[88:50] C).
• Lanthimos as Perennial Nominee: “Is he going to be one of those…perennially appreciated but not rewarded kind of filmmakers?” ([88:19] B)
• Emma Stone/Producer Future: Admiration for her expanding Hollywood footprint, hope that her next acting moves find new collaborators ([77:34] C).
• Legacy of Bleak Satire: “Bugonia” is respected for nuance, courage, and its bleak, bleak worldview—even if it didn’t make the hosts’ top-of-year lists or generate mainstream enthusiasm ([72:57] A, [72:04] C).

Closing Thought

In embracing “Bugonia,” the Academy signals a tolerance for sharp, despairing satire and performances that challenge rather than flatter. The film’s cold empathy and refusal to declare a Good Guy make it a prickly but fascinating entry in the “Oscar darling” canon—and a testament to both Lanthimos and Stone’s unique alchemy at the center of contemporary film culture.