Bug

FLICK A friend of mine wanted to see the film Bug because he had seen the original Off-Broadway play and wanted to compare the versions. I went along knowing only that it starred Ashley Judd and was directed by William Friedkin. Don’t expect another Arachnophobia or Starship Troopers. It would give the appropriate audience a better context if it were playing in art-house theaters instead of screening in the major theater chains and being marketed as a simple horror flick. I imagine this to be much better on a stage than on screen. Sharing an intense madness, Bug reminded me of theater like “The Chairs” by Eugene Ionesco, although the former being more of a psycho-drama than the latter’s absurdist farce. This doesn’t mean Friedkin doesn’t deliver the disturbing goods.
Bug tells the story of cocktail waitress Agnes (Judd), who has guilt over losing her son and fears her recently paroled ex-husband (Harry Connick, Jr.). But it’s her deceivingly calm friend Peter (a compelling Michael Shannon, recreating his stage role) who shows up and has the most impact on her. Couple Agnes’ worries and insecurities with Peter’s (who is also off his medication) growing paranoid schizophrenic personality and you have a folie à deux, which translates to double insanity. This happens when two persons closely associated with one another suffer a psychosis simultaneously, with one member having influenced or “infected” the other and then believe in and build on their delusions. Friedkin nicely contrasts the openness of the desert with the interior of Agnes’ claustrophobic motel room, reflecting differing and deteriorating mental states. As Agnes and Peter descend into madness, they talk of government conspiracies and look for bugs – the insect and man-made kind – under their skin and in their teeth, which results in self-mutilation and lots of blood. It’s insanely powerful stuff. If you’re itching to see this R-rated film, leave the kids home, unlike some of the parents who brought them along to the screening I attended and probably now have traumatized zombies running around the house digging their eyes out. My Score: 6.5 out of 10.