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Bug (2006 film)
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Wikipedia article
'Bug' is a 2006 psychological thriller film directed by William Friedkin and written by Tracy Letts, based on his 1996 play of the same name. The film stars Ashley Judd, Michael Shannon, Lynn Collins, Bran F. O'Byrne, and Harry Connick Jr.
'Bug' debuted at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival before being purchased by Lionsgate, which released the film the following year in May 2007. The film received mixed to positive reviews from critics, who praised its intensity, directing, acting, and take on paranoia, but were polarized about its writing. They disagreed about the ending in particular. Friedkin and Letts collaborated again as director and writer on the 2011 film 'Killer Joe'.
Plot
Agnes White is a waitress working at a gay bar while living in a run-down motel in rural Oklahoma. Unable to move on after the disappearance of her young son nearly ten years ago, Agnes binges on drugs and alcohol with her lesbian friend R.C.
Agnes is constantly plagued by silent telephone calls that she believes are being made by her abusive ex-husband Jerry Goss, who has recently been released from prison. One night, R.C. introduces Agnes to Peter Evans, a drifter who says his father is a preacher. Agnes and Peter's mutual loneliness draws them together and Agnes allows Peter to stay the night. Peter, who has a sore tooth, tracks down a cricket that is chirping in a smoke alarm within the motel room, and kills it with a ball handed to him by Agnes.
Jerry barges into Agnes's room next morning while Peter is out getting food. Agnes is afraid of Jerry who she says nearly killed her previously. He menaces her but tries to reconcile with her; she says she hates him, whereupon he hits her, knocking her to the ground. He says he will return to the house in later days after he has finished some business he has to take care of down South. Jerry then robs her, and as he leaves the motel, pushes past the returning Peter.
Peter seems oddly paranoid about machines but Agnes seems to trust him. She tells him that her son Lloyd disappeared when he was six and she gave up looking for him some years ago. The two have sex. Peter apparently discovers aphids in the bed and kills a number of them. He decides to flee, upsetting Agnes, who feels newly abandoned. Peter returns within moments as Agnes cries. He convinces her that he was the subject of biological testing by the U.S. government while in the military, and says the anonymous phone calls were made by government agents in anticipation of his arrival. Afterwards, he tells her that the room has become infested by bugs planted by the government as part of the experiments. Peter's movements and behavior become more erratic as he fights the "invisible" bugs, that he claims are infesting his body.
Over time, Agnes begins to share in his behavior. R.C., who has taken Agnes to visit a dermatologist, is convinced there are no bugs in the motel room. Agnes has also reported to the motel owner that their room has bugs but says he told her none of the other rooms have a bug problem. Peter is furious over these developments. R.C. tries to convince Agnes to leave Peter, mentioning that a man named Dr. Sweet is looking for him. But, after Peter has an episode, Agnes slaps R.C. and tells her to leave. Peter and Agnes isolate themselves, closing the room, covering it with flypaper and aluminum foil to fend off communications, and lighting it with the glow from bug zappers. Peter, believing that a colony of microscopic bug egg-sacs was implanted in one of his teeth, tears the tooth out with pliers. After examining the tooth using a child's microscope, he believes he sees the bugs in the remains of the crushed tooth, as does Agnes. Peter is progressively more obsessed with using the microscope, believing that the bugs are living in and eating his blood.
Dr. Sweet arrives at the motel with Jerry Goss. Sweet sends Goss outside. Sweet tells Agnes that Peter escaped from a mental institution where he was undergoing treatment. Sweet says that delusions about insects are a known symptom of Peter's mental illness. Sweet questions Agnes about her mental condition and circumstances. Agnes tells Sweet that she and Peter believe that the foil shields the room from signals which the bugs are attempting to transmit to the outside world. Sweet is placating and tries to convince Agnes to deliver Peter into his care so he can put Peter back into the hospital where if necessary an operation can be performed to remove the bugs. Agnes distrusts him until Sweet implies that he knows where her son Lloyd might be and that if he helps her, he could reveal more information that might reunite her with her missing son. After Agnes slaps a bug that seems to be biting her and holds it out to show Sweet, he says 'that's no delusion" and his questioning of her takes a more sinister turn. The sound of what may be a helicopter overhead is heard and Sweet says that 'they are listening' but that he can help Agnes and Peter.
Peter appears from the bedroom wielding a knife. As he argues with Sweet, Sweet unobtrusively readies a syringe, preparing to sedate Peter, but Peter stabs and savagely kills Sweet. Agnes is distraught believing that Peter has destroyed her chance of learning more about her son, but Peter insists Sweet was not even human, merely a 'robot' sent by the government. Together, Peter and Agnes elaborate upon Peter's beliefs in an escalating conspiracy, becoming convinced that Agnes's son was kidnapped by the government to lead her and Peter to meet. They believe that each was separately infected with bugs meant to mate with each another (one being the 'drone' and one being the 'Queen') and take over the world. To prevent this, Agnes and Peter decide douse each other in gasoline. Jerry Goss, furious over his ex-wife's unstable behaviour, tries to break into the room after being ordered to leave a third time by Sweet but Agnes injures him with a nailgun. Both she and Peter then set themselves on fire, dying in the process. Before they ignite, they swear their love to each other.
During the end credits, various toys in Agnes's room are shown completely intact, with no sign of the aluminum foil. The opening shot of the film is repeated with the body of Sweet lying prone in the foil-covered room which is undamaged by fire. It is left unclear which shot, if any, is "real".
Cast
* Ashley Judd as Agnes White
* Michael Shannon as Peter Evans
* Lynn Collins as R.C.
* Bran F. O'Byrne as Dr. Sweet
* Harry Connick, Jr. as Jerry Goss
Production
Settings
The set design was done by Franco-Giacomo Carbone, the production designer of films such as 'Hostel' (2005) and 'Rocky Balboa' (2006).Most of the film's action occurs in a seedy motel room. The scenario has three interconnected rooms a bathroom, a kitchenette and a living room. At one point in the film, the room has several dozen fly strips hanging from the ceiling. At another point the entire room is covered from floor to ceiling in tinfoil. Friedkin has said the tinfoil was a nightmare to work with, because it had to be repaired constantly, and because it reflected everybody who was there, including the crew.
Filming locations
Exteriors of the motel were filmed near Olancha, California, and at Grace King High School[http://blog.nola.com/annmaloney/2007/06/pirates_and_paintings.html Pirates and Paintings | NOLA.com] . Blog.nola.com (2007-06-07). Retrieved on 2010-12-17. while studio interiors of the motel room were filmed on a soundstage (a high school gymnasium) in Metairie, Louisiana, near New Orleans. A grocery store scene was shot at Migliore's Grocery, and the lesbian bar scene was shot at Boomerang's Bar, both located in New Sarpy, Louisiana.Allen Lottinger, Jr. [http://www.heraldguide.com/lifestyles/aug05/hollywood.htm Hollywood South] , St. Charles Herald-Guide, August 6, 2005 The movie took 21 days to shoot.The story is supposed to take place in Oklahoma, but the Sierra Nevada mountain range behind the motel belies the shooting location.
Music
The film score was composed by Brian Tyler,Brennan, Mike. [https://www.soundtrack.net/album/bug-original-score/ SoundtrackNet : Bug (score)]. Soundtrack (May 21, 2007). Retrieved August 21, 2021. with additional music by Serj Tankian. The end title song "Disappearing Act" was written and performed by Chris Cornell. Jay Faires was the film's music supervisor.
Soundtrack
The film's theme song is performed by Serj Tankian, the lead singer of the rock band System of a Down. "Beautiful Day" is performed by Scott Weiland, the lead singer of the rock band Stone Temple Pilots.
Additional artists are Sean and Sara Watkins (of Nickel Creek), Chainsaw Kittens, The Backsliders, Susan Tedeschi, Jerry Leiber, The Coasters, Alvin Robinson, Los Tigres del Norte, Leon Russell, and Brian Tyler.
The soundtrack was released in stores on May 22, 2007.
Release
Distributed by Lionsgate, the film premiered in May 2006 in France in the Directors' Fortnight section at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival.
The film received its U.S. premiere at Fantastic Fest on September 25, 2006, in Austin, Texas. It opened in the U.S. at 1,661 theaters on May 25, 2007. In its opening weekend it earned $3.24 million, and ranked as number four, of the most-seen films of the weekend, placed behind the popular franchise films 'Pirates of the Caribbean 3', 'Shrek 3' and 'Spider-Man 3'.
It was released to theaters in France on February 21, 2007. It drew praise from most critics in France, but did not reach the top in the box office. In its opening week in France, it ranked as number twenty of the most-visited films of the week, and earned $216,244 from sixty-six screens.
Genre
Friedkin has said that the film would have been flagged, in the 1960s or 1970s, as a horror film, but he insists it is no such thing.[http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/ent/stories/DN-friedkin_0525gl.State.Edition1.27e4961.html William Friedkin is bugged | Dallas-Fort Worth Entertainment News and Events | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News] . Dallasnews.com (May 24, 2007). Retrieved December 17, 2010. He told ComingSoon.net that "There were all sorts of people who looked at 'Bug', (including magazine people like 'Fangoria') and they called it a horror film," he said. The horror connection "came from a lot of sources." Friedkin claims that 'Bug' is "in many ways, a black comedy love story. He stated in an interview, that "It's not a genre film, but marketing works in mysterious ways. They have to find a genre for it. 'This is a comedy. This is a melodrama. This is a love story. This is a horror film. This is an adventure film.' 'Bug' doesn't fit easily into any of those categories."Home media
'Bug' was released on DVD on September 20, 2007. It was also available on HD DVD as a German exclusive, and has subsequently been released on Blu-ray Disc in Germany as well. A North American Blu-ray Disc release never materialized.Reception
The film received mixed to positive reviews from critics. , the film holds a 61% approval rating of review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, based on 132 reviews with an average rating of 6.25/10. The consensus states: "Disappointing resolution aside, 'Bug' uses its claustrophobic setting and cinma vrit camerawork to tense, impressive effect". Metacritic reports an average score of 62 out of 100, indicating "generally favorable reviews" based on 29 reviews.
At Cannes, 'Chicago Sun-Times' critic Roger Ebert remarked, "The film has caused a stir at Cannes, not least because its stars, Ashley Judd and Michael Shannon, achieve a kind of manic intensity that's frightening not just in itself but because you fear for the actors." A year later, he awarded the film 3 stars out of 4, describing it in his review as "lean, direct, unrelenting" and calling it "a return to form after some disappointments like 'Jade'." He also acknowledged others' criticism of its single-location setting, which he defended by writing, "There is nothing here to 'open up' and every reason to create a claustrophobic feel. Paranoia shuts down into a desperate focus. It doesn't spread its wings and fly."
Judd was praised for her performance by critic Dennis Dermody from 'Paper', who wrote: "Ashley Judd gives a raw, shattering Oscar-worthy performance." Stephen Schaeffer from the 'Boston Herald' called it "one of the most disturbing horror movies imaginable". The film received generally positive reviews from the U.K. media, receiving three out of five in 'The Guardian'. It was also critic Mark Kermode's film of the week on BBC Radio 5 Live.
Despite the praise, CinemaScore gave it a rating of F based on surveys from general audiences.
Awards
The film received an award at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival from the International Federation of Film Critics in the Director's Fortnight section.Judd was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Actress.
See also
* Delusional parasitosis
* Folie deux
* Gulf War syndrome
* Morgellons disease
* Paranoia
References
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