Bug (C+ or 2.5/4 stars)
If you don't like the creepy crawlies, you may not dig 'Bug', an odd, but engrossing psychological thriller directed by William Friedkin (The Exorcist), & adapted from a stage play. Agnes works at a lesbian bar (though she isn't one). Her life is a disaster. Her ex-husband, Goss (Harry Connick Jr.) has been released from prison & is hounding her. She can't escape the tragedy of losing her son in a grocery store. Her only friend is a lesbian co-worker (Lynn Collins). She hates parties, doesn't like people, has no boyfriends, & neurotically lives as a hermit inside her sleazy, drug-infested motel room. Lonely as Hell, she takes up a 'friendship' with a shy, peculiar Gulf War vet named Peter (Michael Shannon). He piques her interest, as he also appears lonely and is harboring a secret. He's on the run from someone or something. And they eventually commence a romance (although he claims he has no interest in sex).
They're happy to have found each other in a world that has cast them out. But things aren't as they appear. Peter's ability to distinguish fact from fiction is questionable. He sees bugs everywhere (in the bed, on the floor, under his skin), and while Agnes doesn't see them, his insistence gets under HER skin & she has no choice but to believe him. Now convinced that microscopic 'aphids' are in their bloodstream (from having sex), they embark on an appallingly paranoid nightmare. They tin-foil the entire motel room. They purchase blue-glow insect repellant light bulbs. They scrutinize the 'bugs' & begin to concoct government theories (sinister cover-ups, alien invasions, secret medical experiments) to validate their delusions. It all leads to a bloody, claustrophobic, catastrophic climax.
It's easy to have seen this as a stage play; the portrait of 2 schizophrenics is realized as 95% of the film occurs within the 4 walls of the room. Peter convinces Agnes that all outsiders are involved in a massive plot against them. He convinces her that she is to trust no one; they are in this fight together. And maybe, just maybe, the bugs are the answer to the mysterious disappearance of her son, some 10 yrs. ago. The hysteria that he infuses her with as he tries to convince her of this plot, & her slow, diabolical realization that what he's exclaiming 'could be true' is a revelation to behold onscreen. This bizarre, creepy ending either grabs you in the gut ... or makes you think, 'what the Hell did I just watch for 97 minutes?' 'Was I supposed to be scared, or laugh?' etc.
While the film starts strong, slowly builds, & then explodes ... the slow-burning 'build-up' which is supposed to make you more & more uneasy just becomes repetitive, lengthy, & uneven. Still, it's a movie that's hard to completely dismiss. I like that these 2 characters are SO on the edge, that it would only take a tiniest delusion (such as a bug) to ignite the paranoia that plays out. They'd rather be crazy together than alone in a world of war & judgment. This duo impresses with their ugly, demented, high-strung acting. And when I 1st saw Judd's character, I said, uh oh, another barfly role, like last yrs. Come Early Morning, but thankfully, this role turns far from that (albeit, she's one-dimensionally overwrought). So, 'Bug' is tough to recommend. But as left-of-center art, I'm not condemning it, either.
They're happy to have found each other in a world that has cast them out. But things aren't as they appear. Peter's ability to distinguish fact from fiction is questionable. He sees bugs everywhere (in the bed, on the floor, under his skin), and while Agnes doesn't see them, his insistence gets under HER skin & she has no choice but to believe him. Now convinced that microscopic 'aphids' are in their bloodstream (from having sex), they embark on an appallingly paranoid nightmare. They tin-foil the entire motel room. They purchase blue-glow insect repellant light bulbs. They scrutinize the 'bugs' & begin to concoct government theories (sinister cover-ups, alien invasions, secret medical experiments) to validate their delusions. It all leads to a bloody, claustrophobic, catastrophic climax.
It's easy to have seen this as a stage play; the portrait of 2 schizophrenics is realized as 95% of the film occurs within the 4 walls of the room. Peter convinces Agnes that all outsiders are involved in a massive plot against them. He convinces her that she is to trust no one; they are in this fight together. And maybe, just maybe, the bugs are the answer to the mysterious disappearance of her son, some 10 yrs. ago. The hysteria that he infuses her with as he tries to convince her of this plot, & her slow, diabolical realization that what he's exclaiming 'could be true' is a revelation to behold onscreen. This bizarre, creepy ending either grabs you in the gut ... or makes you think, 'what the Hell did I just watch for 97 minutes?' 'Was I supposed to be scared, or laugh?' etc.
While the film starts strong, slowly builds, & then explodes ... the slow-burning 'build-up' which is supposed to make you more & more uneasy just becomes repetitive, lengthy, & uneven. Still, it's a movie that's hard to completely dismiss. I like that these 2 characters are SO on the edge, that it would only take a tiniest delusion (such as a bug) to ignite the paranoia that plays out. They'd rather be crazy together than alone in a world of war & judgment. This duo impresses with their ugly, demented, high-strung acting. And when I 1st saw Judd's character, I said, uh oh, another barfly role, like last yrs. Come Early Morning, but thankfully, this role turns far from that (albeit, she's one-dimensionally overwrought). So, 'Bug' is tough to recommend. But as left-of-center art, I'm not condemning it, either.