Bees, Wontons and Vacuums at The 61st Chicago International Film Fest’s First Week

Mirroring the pitter-pattering of rain on the city streets, thousands of feet shuffled into theaters across seven venues for the start of the 61st Chicago International Film Festival (CIFF). The festival showcases over 100 films, spanning from underground cinematic statements to big-time feature premieres, The Phoenix previously reported. 

In the first week of its 11-day run, CIFF united moviegoers of all kinds under its tagline “Find Your Genre.” From genre films full of flashy spectacle to quaint, humanistic dramas and chortle-inducing comedies, there’s no shortage of variety when it comes to the content at CIFF. 

“Misery” + “The Thing” = “Bugonia”

Director Yorgos Lanthimos’ latest collaboration with actress Emma Stone, “Bugonia” is chock-full of the absurdist’s ABCs — aliens, bees and conspiracy theories. 

An adaptation of the 2003 South Korean film “Save the Green Planet!” beekeepers and self-proclaimed extraterrestrial experts Teddy (Jesse Plemons) and Don Gatz (Aidan Delbis) kidnap and interrogate Stone’s (“Poor Things,” “La La Land”) character, influential pharmaceutical CEO Michelle Fuller, believing she’s secretly an alien trying to exterminate the human race.

While “Bugonia” starts as a critique of harmful internet pipelines that lead to extremism, by the film’s midpoint, it morphs into a condemnation of capitalism, showing how corporate greed affects the working class most — and how it can turn to drastic ends. 

Both Stone and Plemons (“Kinds of Kindness,” “The Power of the Dog”) bring these concepts to life through grounded-in-reality, yet heightened performances.

The film’s title refers to ancient Mediterranean folklore which claims bees spawn out of the carcass of a cow. Throughout “Bugonia,” the beehive acts as an allegory of the society Teddy fears he lives in, where brainless workers slave away in complete obedience under one ruler.

Many Lanthimos-isms are present throughout — whether it be long action-tracking shots, meticulously orchestrated scenes of chaos or a blunt sense of nihilism.

“Bugonia” continues Lanthimos’ streak of movies portraying his bleak perception of the contemporary world through the lens of an intensely stylized telescope and heaps upon heaps of black humor.

“Bugonia” is set for an American theater release Oct. 24.

Hurry, it’s an emergency — let’s get Chinese!

An amalgamation of his own experiences, observations and imagination, writer, director and lead actor Saddiq Saunderson’s “Moonluck Wonton” was featured as part of the “Comedy Shorts” program.

Part film noir, part hangout comedy, the short centers around a friend group’s deliberation on what to do with an abandoned trombone case — all over an order of wontons.

At its heart, “Moonluck Wonton” is a bold statement on platonic love. While the group’s dynamics and bickering are funny enough to warrant a round of applause, the star of the short is its striking visual style — whether that be through black and white cinematography, unconventional camera angles or uniquely defined facial expressions. 

Through distinct visuals, expressive performances and a tight script, “Moonluck Wonton” leaves an impression far exceeding its 15-minute runtime. 

Even “If I Had Legs” I Wouldn’t Run to See This Movie 

Based on writer and director Mary Bronstein’s relationship with her daughter, “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You,” focuses on the hectic life of therapist Linda (Rose Byrne) as she struggles taking care of her terminally ill daughter (Delaney Quinn) while her husband (Christian Slater) is on a work trip. 

Linda’s life literally comes crashing down when a burst pipe spews water through her ceiling — leaving an ominous hole in its wake — and forces them to live out of a motel. As the movie progresses and stress builds, she begins to descend into madness, isolating herself from her daughter’s doctors, growing disinterested with her patients and experiencing violent hallucinations.

Each shot suffocates the viewer, with claustrophobia-inducing close-ups of the actors’ faces taking up the entire screen for the majority of the film. This suspense is constantly broken by poorly placed comedic elements — such as the off-kilter inclusion of Ivy Wolk’s dry humor — and downright unrealistic plot points for a movie that tries to take itself seriously.

However, Conan O’Brien’s portrayal of Linda’s unsympathetic therapist is a dramatic change of pace for the usually comedic actor, as well as A$AP Rocky’s turn as Linda’s charming motel neighbor. Both unexpected performances function as a crutch to help the movie hobble along.

Through artful representation of internal anxiety and top-tier performances across the board, Bronstein’s psychological thriller leaves the viewer with utter unease throughout.  However, the head-scratching actions of Linda and the disjointed addition of comedy throughout lead “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You” to stumble.

“If I Had Legs I’d Kick You” is in theaters now.

“The Plague”: The Scariest Psychological Horror of All — Puberty!

After a cross-country move from Boston to San Diego, shy 12-year-old Ben (Everett Blunck) attends an overnight water polo camp where he learns of a highly contagious disease spreading among the other boys — “The Plague.” 

Although it’s Charlie Polinger’s debut as a director, his vision for “The Plague” is fully realized, each shot carefully constructed to summon the skin-crawling anxiety of being in middle school. 

Swapping the fear of death for the fear of ostracization, Polinger exhibits the cruelty of young teen boys without a filter. The brutally realistic nature of bully Jake (Kayo Martin), plague victim Eli (Kenny Rasmussen) and Ben’s performances make the film seem less like a work of fiction and more like a documentary. 

Throughout the film, a chorus of groans and wails jolts through the theater speakers without any notice, composing a score that’s simultaneously unsettling and enticing. 

The suspenseful — and at times comedic — “The Plague” draws upon the horrors of teenagehood to paint a spine-chilling portrait of how far one will go to fit in.

“The Plague” will have an extended wide release Jan. 2.

A Lonely Homebound Ladyboy, A Stern Head of An Appliance Factory, A Son Grieving His Late Wife and A Haunted Vacuum in “A Useful Ghost”

All of these characters comprise the cast of “A Useful Ghost,” Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke’s directorial debut. 

After his new vacuum begins mysteriously rumbling in the middle of the night, a reclusive gay man (Wisarut Homhuan) calls repairman Krong (Wanlop Rungkumjad) to fix it. In the process, Krong tells the story of the grieving March (Witsarut Himmarat) — a man pursuing a continued relationship with his dead wife Nat (Davika Hoorne), whose ghost inhabited a vacuum cleaner, all to his mother Suman’s (Apasiri Nitibhon) dismay.

A diverse blend of comedy, satire, drama and science fiction, the message of “A Useful Ghost” evolves over its runtime. Initially, the movie tackles how overbearing in-laws and generational trauma affect irregular relationships. Over 130 minutes, it progresses into a commentary on capitalistic greed, corruption, exploitation and government censorship.

While the subject matter might be heavy, the film doesn’t present it as such, with absurdist visuals and situational comedy running rampant. 

In one scene, a group of profane Buddhist monks tries to cast Nat’s soul from the vacuum cleaner. In another, Nat — as the vacuum cleaner — fights a disgruntled soul of an employee who died on the job and assumes the form of a mini-fridge. 

Whether it’s a tender story of forbidden love or a searing critique of suppression by the government,  “A Useful Ghost” offers a little bit of everything — especially if one likes sentient cleaning machinery.