Breaking Down the Comically Bleak Ending of Yorgos Lanthimos’ Bugonia

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The movie title, Bugonia, might seem strange for a story about conspiracy theorists kidnapping a pharmaceutical executive because they think she’s an alien. However, the connection lies with bees.

Yorgos Lanthimos, the director of films like Poor Things and The Favourite, brings us a darkly funny and suspenseful new thriller now playing in theaters. The story centers on Teddy Gatz (Jesse Plemons), an amateur beekeeper who believes his bee colonies are dying due to chemicals produced by a powerful company called Auxolith, led by CEO Michelle Fuller (Emma Stone). Teddy also works at Auxolith, and he has a personal reason to distrust the company: years ago, his mother (Alicia Silverstone) was part of an experimental drug trial there that left her in a coma. This experience led Teddy to become obsessed with online conspiracy theories, ultimately convincing him that Michelle Fuller is actually an alien from the Andromeda galaxy with a sinister plan to destroy humanity – starting with the bees.

Let’s talk about the meaning behind the title, “Bugonia.” It’s an ancient Greek word for “offspring of an ox” and refers to a strange ritual rooted in the belief that bees could magically appear from the body of an ox killed in a specific, drawn-out way – a type of sacrifice that caused the animal a lot of pain. The filmmakers were drawn to the obscure word, but screenwriter Will Tracy (known for The Menu and Succession) also explained to Independent TV that “Bugonia” symbolically connects to the movie’s central theme. This theme is inspired by the 2003 South Korean sci-fi film Save the Green Planet!

He suggested this could be seen as a reflection of modern American life, or even human civilization as a whole. He explained it represents the possibility of something new and positive emerging from a situation that’s deeply flawed – a chance for renewal from the ruins of corruption. That’s one interpretation.

The film doesn’t fully explain the meaning of that idea until the very end, when we finally learn the truth about Michelle’s alien background.

Is Michelle an alien?

Following the tragic suicide of Teddy’s cousin, Don, witnessed by Michelle, Michelle convinces a devastated Teddy that she has a cure for his mother’s illness. She claims it’s been hidden in a bottle of antifreeze in her car. Teddy, desperate to help his mother, immediately goes to her nursing home and tragically administers the antifreeze through her IV, resulting in her death.

Michelle finds the keys to her restraints in the pocket of the dead man, Teddy, giving her a chance to escape. But when she uncovers a hidden room in the basement filled with the remains of Teddy’s former victims, she chooses to stay.

When Teddy comes back, Michelle confronts him about his research on the Andromedans and reveals the history of her own people. She claims they arrived on Earth during the dinosaur age and unintentionally caused their extinction. To fix this, they created a new species – humanity – in their own likeness. Michelle tells a complex story, but argues Teddy is mistaken about the Andromedans wanting to harm humans. Instead, she insists that humans are destroying the planet and themselves through things like climate change and war. According to Michelle, the Andromedans are actually trying to save humanity from its own destructive behavior. However, it’s still uncertain whether Michelle is being honest with Teddy or manipulating him.

How does Bugonia end?

A lunar eclipse was happening, and Michelle planned to bring Teddy with her to her spaceship, using a teleportation device in her office. However, once they arrived at Auxolith, Teddy revealed he was wearing a bomb, just in case. Michelle pretended to need a complex calculation to send him through the teleporter, seemingly trying to stall for time. But as soon as he entered, the bomb exploded, killing him and knocking Michelle unconscious. She woke up in an ambulance and immediately tried to return to Auxolith. Back at the teleporter, she successfully teleported herself to her spaceship using the calculator. It was then revealed she was the empress of the Andromedans. Surprisingly, Teddy had been correct about many details regarding the Andromedans – their hair served as a communication system, and he knew exactly what their spacecraft looked like.

After consulting with her advisors from Andromeda, Michelle decides humanity is a lost cause. She then activates a device that instantly kills everyone on Earth—without any bloodshed. The film Bugonia concludes with a lengthy montage, set to Marlene Dietrich’s rendition of “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?”, depicting bodies scattered around the globe where they fell. Despite this grim outcome, the ending suggests there’s still hope for the planet itself, as bees are shown safely returning to their hives. According to Tracy, this finale is meant to be especially impactful for audiences given current world events.

The conclusion of Bugonia reflects the current sense of political frustration and despair many people are experiencing, according to the creator. They explained that as the climate crisis becomes more pressing and feels increasingly hopeless, questions about our relationship with the planet – what it might look like without us, and what our purpose is – are becoming more prominent.

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2025-10-31 17:06