Bug
(2007)
Lionsgate
R1 / NTSC DVD
Director: William Friedkin
Writer: Tracy Letts
Starring: Ashley Judd, Harry Connick, Michael Shannon, Lynn Collins
& Brian F. O'Byrne
Review by Annie Riordan
Aggie is a lonely, reclusive young woman, working as a waitress at a
honky tonk and living in near squalor at a rundown motel in
Oklahoma. Embittered by an abusive marriage and emotionally scarred
by the disappearance of her only child years ago, Aggie isn’t too
thrilled when her coworker and only friend brings a strange young
man to her room one night. Peter is a drifter, but his soft-spoken
manner and shy compliments earn him a place on Aggie’s couch that
night. Soon, Peter’s moved in and he and Aggie have fallen in love.
But trouble soon arises in the form of Aggie’s psycho ex and an
infestation of aphids that only Aggie and Peter seem to be able to
see. Is Peter really carrying the egg sacs of intelligent insects
beneath his skin, implanted there by devious government and military
officials? Or is he a delusional and dangerous paranoid
schizophrenic who is pulling Aggie down along with him into
insanity?
If you’re thinking of checking this movie out in hopes of seeing
vast amounts of insects, squirming maggots and tons of larvae,
forget it. There’s no bugs, little blood, one hot sex scene and zero
action. This is a dialog driven psycho-drama that fucks with your
head, filled with an ever growing sense of dread and horror that
Friedkin masterfully keeps a tight lid on right up until the
explosive climax. Everyone turns in tight, believable performances,
with Harry Connick Jr. a standout as the white trash asshole ex.
Michael Shannon is incredible as Peter, who goes from sweet, shy boy
to raving, bug-eyed maniac...no pun intended.
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