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LionsGate
MSRP $28.98
Rated R
Running
Time 101 minutes
Special
Features
- BUG: An Introduction
- A Discussion with William
Friedkin - Audio Commentary by Director
William Friedkin
THE
PITCH
It’s like The Parallax View on Crystal Meth.
THE
HUMANS
Ashley Judd, Michael Shannon, Lynn Collins, Brian F. O’Byrne and Harry
Connick, Jr.
THE
NUTSHELL
Agnes is
a waitress at a Lesbian Country bar. Her ex-con ex-husband has just got out of
jail and she’s a little nervous about how much time she has left to live. But,
when her co-worker R.C. introduces her to Peter, she starts to feel a little
different. Peter asks Agnes about her life and truly cares. This is new to
Agnes, as she begins to open up about some bad things that happened to her in
the past.
THE
LOWDOWN
Bug is
a film about the horrors of paranoia. Agnes works in a dive lesbian bar, as she
hides out from her ex-husband Jerry. Jerry is an ex-con who hasn’t been right
since his kid went missing. Agnes can’t explain why their child disappeared a
decade ago. In between snorts of cocaine, Agnes wants to rationalize the loss
by any means necessary.
Then, she
meets Peter. Peter is everything that Jerry isn’t and he gives Agnes hope. That
is until Jerry pops up in her shower. This sets the stage for Peter, Jerry and
Agnes to come to terms with themselves in tight quarters. But, Peter has some
problems. He’s been hearing helicopters at night and he can’t shake this pain
in his tooth.
Agnes and
Peter eventually find solace in each other and then do the deed. The problem
with that is Peter might’ve been an Army experimental subject. That leads to
Agnes possibly being infected with the bugs that only Peter can see. Agnes goes
along with it, as she’s growing helplessly closer to Peter. So, they decide to
take out her missing kid’s microscope and deck the room out in fly zappers.
Peter’s
doctor has started to look for him and the couple starts to panic. Agnes’s
friend R.C. guides the Doctor to the motel room, as a way to get Agnes and
Peter apart. Agnes won’t leave Peter, as she wants to help him get the bugs out
of his body. But, it’s starting to get serious as Peter has carved chunks of
his flesh open to let the aphids out. Agnes freaks out and lets Dr. Sweet come
to talk to Peter. By then, the room is covered in tin foil and stacked with
several gallons of gasoline.
The
inevitable standoff that kicks into the last quarter of the film is powerful.
Friedkin translates the tension of the popular play into a setting that thrives
under his masterful hand. You understand why Peter and Agnes grow closer
together, while their world falls apart. It’s almost beautiful, if you didn’t
have one of them believing that the U.S. Army was turning the country into
bug-filled zombies. But, every relationship has its problems.
THE
PACKAGE
Bug is
another well-designed LionsGate package. The
special features dedicated to helping to shape and explain the film. We get a
serious look at how Friedkin found the play by Letts and helped to take it to
the big screen. Then, there’s the commentary. Friedkin is back!
It’s been
forever since I’ve heard Friedkin talk about film, much less his work in a way
that could be Scorsese or Tarantino to shame. As, Friedkin breaks down the
connections of the story to the modern need for a conspiracy, you get goose
bumps. It’s like seeing an old friend who’s been depressed for years come back
to life with a new fervor. I have not been this excited to listen to a
commentary since the True Romance 2-disc Special Edition.
8.0 out of 10