Bugonia, One Battle & the American Question

Mar 3

“Bugonia” and “One Battle After Another” are two films released during an increasingly dark political era. One film offers a pessimistic view of the future and humanity’s [in]ability to save itself; the other is about the undying revolutionary efforts towards a better country. Released during Donald Trump’s (second) first year in office, as ICE continues to occupy cities and the wealth gap widens, both films pose a question to the American viewer on how we should respond. Do we lie down and die, viewing revolutionary efforts as futile, or do we commit to fighting against all forces of oppression, even when victory seems unlikely? Nihilistic surrender or optimistic resistance?

BUGONIA

“Bugonia,” a remake of the 2003 Korean film “Save the Green Planet,” is a harsh reminder that humanity’s relationship to Earth assumes ownership and exploitation were granted to us. As a mirror to the way humans abuse our planet, the film presents Michelle Fuller, CEO of a pharmaceutical company, Auxolith, and Teddy Gatz, a factory worker for this company, whose mother fell into a coma after an Auxolith drug trial. Along with his personal vendettas, Teddy accuses Auxolith of being responsible for the sudden death of bee colonies through the harmful pesticides they release.

Billionaire CEOs, the exploitation of the working class, pharmaceutical testing causing permanent medical issues, ecological harm caused by large corporations, and jargon-filled apologies. “Bugonia” is an exploration into themes most Americans recognize, delivered in a sci-fi, dark-comedy package. Teddy is motivated by his desire to save all humanity from the aliens that are causing our issues. He does so by kidnapping Michelle and demanding that she admit she is an alien and is contributing to the downfall of the human race.

As you watch Teddy confront Michelle for her company’s involvement in killing bee colonies and their disregard for the health and safety of their workers, the scene feels like a heavy exhale and tightened knuckles at the same time. The American viewer likely already has other billionaires in mind whom they secretly wish they could confront in the same way. “Bugonia” meets the viewer where they’re at in terms of exhaustion, anger, and a silent agreement with the ugliest parts of Teddy’s actions. All while framing Teddy as a deranged conspiracy theorist who ends up being right about everything. He isn’t meant to be a representation of the average incel-QAnon male. He represents the exploited and abused American who is called crazy more often than they are called correct.

I previously referred to “Bugonia” as the pessimistic counterpart to “One Battle,” but I’d like to reframe the film’s pessimism. It takes the ugliest parts of America’s sociopolitical climate and allows the viewer to feel helpless. While watching the film, we aren’t too sure of who to root for. We don’t know if Michelle actually is or isn’t an alien, so in part, we’re rooting for her to escape and come out on top. Simultaneously, we understand the human pain that Teddy is going through. As it turns out, Teddy is correct, both in the world of “Bugonia” and in a real-world context. It is alien to enact drug trials that leave subjects comatose, to release chemicals that kill bee colonies, and to profit off of people’s need for medicine. Where he failed was in not knowing the extent to which Michelle held power over the world. No matter what he did or said to her, she had the ability to end humanity as a whole – and did just that.

A story about the powerful coming out on top while successfully manipulating the audience is not an inspiring one. Where “One Battle” might’ve made you join your local DSA, “Bugonia” might just make you sit in silence for a moment and not order anything from Amazon for a few weeks. The helpless feeling many walked away with is moreso a sobering realization of how powerless we truly are at times.

ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER

“One Battle After Another,” in title alone, sums up American revolutionary history. Chase Infinity, Leonardo DiCaprio, Benicio del Toro, and Sean Penn play roles so archetypal that it is almost difficult to view them as individuals. Infiniti’s character, Willa, is the inherited battle. The innocence-ruining moment when the new generation realizes it is their turn to fight their parents’ wars. DiCaprio as Bob represents protecting oneself and family over fighting for the greater good. Del Toro playing Sensei Sergio is the consistency of the underground revolution born out of the necessity to protect one’s community. Finally, Penn plays white supremacist Colonel Lockjaw, an explicit representation of the ideology that continues to silently drive far-right politics.

Bob is a man who has left the revolution behind after his group, the French 75, was exposed, causing him to go into hiding with his daughter, Willa. Through Willa being hunted down by high-ranked Colonel Lockjaw, we learn that the underground revolution didn’t halt in the 16 years Bob was inactive—it grew. He elicits the help of Willa’s karate sensei, who runs an underground system protecting families from immigration enforcement.

Though relevant to any point in modern American history, “One Battle” is intentional about its timeline. The French 75 likely operated during the Obama administration. This timestamp reflects the growing realization amongst the American left that resistance is necessary under any administration. From those who are simply left-leaning to self-proclaimed activists, there is an understanding that the highly disruptive French 75 is as vital as the unnamed underground revolution 16 years later.

“One Battle,” though dense in its nearly 3-hour runtime, is more straightforward in its messaging than “Bugonia.” Most evidently, the title “One Battle After Another” explains the issue with revolutionary movements that causes fatigue for its members—that is, an understanding that the fight will never truly be over. The understanding that taking losses is inevitable, and that real revolution often imitates war in the lives lost, the traitors, and the coded language. The title also answers the question of what one is supposed to do about this fatigue: take it one battle after another. The underground machine Sensai runs signifies how marginalized people have and always will be doing the legwork of the revolution because they do not have the option to do nothing. Willa’s blackness is the reason her life is put at risk and backs her into a place where she has no choice but to fight. That innocence-ruining moment is an experience that is greatly shared within marginalized, specifically black and brown, communities.

THE AMERICAN QUESTION

Nihilistic surrender or optimistic resistance? When the world gets bleak, we start asking ourselves this question. Holding these two movies up against one another, you get the effect of looking into a funhouse mirror. “Bugonia,” in all of its dark, sci-fi humor, reminds us that the forces of oppression are much stronger than we are, and that, often, we are unsuccessful in beating them. “One Battle” looks back at this reflection and agrees, though it reminds us that while we sit in pity, real people will continue to do the underground legwork. I think these films benefit the viewer best when in proximity. The hopelessness and sorrow you feel while watching the ending sequence of “Bugonia” should remind you of what you have to lose, of what they are trying to take from you. Likewise, you should have the same humbling realization as Bob when he witnesses how Sensei has kept their immigrant community protected despite persistent threats. What I appreciate about both films is how they explore humanity as a collective force rather than a set of individuals. As a collective, we have more control over which institutions remain than we are led to believe. The “American Question” should not be considered solely on the individual level. Rather, we need to consider what we think we (humanity as a whole, or simply, Americans) should do.

Cover Image: https://i.pinimg.com/736x/88/fa/c2/88fac2e9dbbff98c26f734e2da40dc3b.jpg

Raye Lewis

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