Bugonia and Hamnet Wow Festival Audiences in Venice and Telluride

Yorgos Lanthimos’s Bugonia and Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet bowed at the Venice and Telluride film festivals this weekend, creating enormous excitement and critical praise. Bugonia—in theaters October 24—premiered at the Venice Film Festival on August 29 before screening at Telluride the next day. Hamnet—in theaters November 26—screened at Telluride August 29 before traveling to the Toronto International Film Festival.

The Hollywood Reporter announces, “Bugonia transfixes Venice, draws lengthy standing ovation.” Loosely based on Jang Joon-hwan’s Save The Green Planet!, Bugonia follow two conspiracy obsessed young men (Jesse Plemons and Aidan Delbis) who kidnap the high-powered CEO of a major company (Emma Stone), convinced that she is an alien intent on destroying planet earth. For critics, the film hit all the right notes. Awards Daily summed up the general consensus, writing, “It is a joy to watch Lanthimos and his incredible cast and crew aim high and succeed at every turn, reminding us of how rewarding it is to emotionally and intellectually invest in films that challenge us.” Screen Daily writes that, “Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons are dynamite” and Variety points out that for Stone and especially Plemons, “This is acting on the high wire.” “What a masterclass in directorial control the film represents for Yorgos Lanthimos,” writes Playlist calling Bugonia “a movie built for our times.”

After Hamnet screened at Telluride, it became, according to The Hollywood Reporter, “the most talked-about film at the fest.” Adapted from the acclaimed novel by the author, Maggie O’Farrell, and Zhao, Hamnet tells a powerful story of love and loss that inspired the creation of Shakespeare’s timeless masterpiece, Hamlet, with Paul Mescal as the iconic playwright and Jessie Buckley as his wife. The Wrap writes, “Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal soar in…a wildly emotional cinematic triumph.” Awards Watch writes, “Mescal captures Shakespeare like we’ve never seen him before.” Buckley, writes Deadline, “is sensational and the beating heart of the story.” For Next Best Picture, “Hamnet isn’t just a masterful film; it’s a genuine emotional experience from a director tapping into something remarkable.”