Director Yorgos Lanthimos is known for using classical music in his films to create feelings of alienation and unease. In Bugonia, however, he breaks this habit by turning to songs from popular culture, which accompany the film’s darkest moments. In one trailer, the emotionally detached CEO Michelle Fuller (Emma Stone) sings Chappell Roan’s “Good Luck, Babe!”—such unexpected musical choices underscore the film’s distinctive absurdity.
Yet the most disturbing scene features Green Day’s “Basket Case,” elevating the situation to a tragicomic peak.
The Tension Behind the Song
The film’s protagonists, Teddy (Jesse Plemons) and his cousin Don (Aidan Delbis), kidnap CEO Michelle Fuller. The kidnappers believe Michelle is an alien trying to poison Earth. Teddy isn’t satisfied with her forced confession; he straps her to an electroshock torture device and, at that very moment, plays Green Day’s “Basket Case.”
Green Day’s song centers on the term “basket case,” describing someone detached from “normal” functioning due to neuroses and anxiety. The lyrics perfectly mirror Teddy’s paranoia: “Sometimes I give myself the creeps. Sometimes my mind plays tricks on me. It all keeps adding up. I think I’m cracking up. Am I just paranoid, or am I stoned?”
In this scene, Teddy cranks the voltage so high that the house lights flicker and the radio signal wavers. Lanthimos keeps Michelle just out of frame, but we hear her muffled screams. This forces the viewer to confront the horrific pain she endures despite her innocence. The use of “Basket Case” anchors Teddy’s madness in a punk rock rhythm, intensifying the film’s horror at the intersection of comedy and tragedy.
Film Summary
- Director: Yorgos Lanthimos
- Cast: Emma Stone (Michelle Fuller), Jesse Plemons (Teddy), Aidan Delbis (Don)
- Theme: Dark Comedy, Paranoia, Digital-Age Anxiety, Genre Crossing.
- Musical Signature: Green Day’s “Basket Case.”
