Review of Bug (2007) by Vince K — 27 Mar 2010

Bug is a very sick and disturbing psycho-drama that leaves it up to you to believe 1 of 2 things - that there are bugs, or there aren't. Of course, when you're shacking up with a delusional, paranoid schizophrenic and throw a lot of crystal meth into the mix, why wouldn't you not think there are bugs all over your skin, biting you everywhere, feeding off your blood? But there's also some evidence in the film that there ACTUALLY are bugs (why else would all the bug lights in the room be constantly zapping every second?) And then the government looking for this guy so fiercely? Yeah, it might be stupid, but I love to believe there are actually bugs in the film.

I do understand the mind-set of a drug addict though; I used to be there myself. But I knew that when my skin got itchy and it felt like bugs were biting me, it was just dry skin. My roommate, who had AIDS, didn't.

I kept catching him in the bathroom twisting a knife into his sores trying to get the bugs out, while getting infected blood all over the guest bathroom. You'd literally have to punch him to get him to stop.

So, the film is pretty much trying to make a commentary on the mind of a drug person - to the absolute EXTREME, I might add. But the sci-fi, horror element of the film - that there might actually be bugs, makes it all the more exciting (and horrifying).

The movie starts out pretty normal - a drugged out alcoholic older woman (Ashley Judd) invites a nice nomadic guy (Michael Shannon) to stay with her in the motel room she lives in (BTW, I've had friends sleep on motel carpets before.

Eaten alive by bugs.) She works at the biggest dyke bar in town (this takes place in a desolate part of Oklahoma), and her ex-husband (played by Harry Connick Jr., his best role ever) has just gotten out of prison and likes to break-in, smack her around, and take all of her money.

She soon turns to Peter (Shannon) for support, and they end up fucking and falling in love. Then the craziness starts coming from him (and yeah, this has happened to me before too when you meet someone nice, invite them into your home, and they turn out to be batshit insane.

) The bug bites are minor at first, but just like the government conspiracy theories Peter screams out; but wildly escalate throughout the course of the film. Aggie's (Judd) dyke friend tries to save her from this guy (trying to say there's definitely no bugs), but Aggie refuses to believe and chooses Peter, over health and sanity.

Sure the egg sac the bugs are coming from lie somewhere in his skin, Peter at point removes his own tooth, crushes it, puts it under a microscope, and then what they see is shocking - MILLIONS of bugs.

Millions and millions of tiny bugs. Are they hallucinating or are they not? I've seen some bad cases of this before in drug addicts (I did mention Peter and Aggie are hitting the 'ole glass pipe the whole time, right?), but it is so taken to the extreme in the film that I almost didn't believe it.

I TOTALLY believed it. Bug is adapted from a great stage play (man, I'd like to go see something like THAT) and Michael Shannon reprises his role of Peter from said play. It's also directed by William Friedkin, director of The Exorcist.

Bug has been one of my favorite movies for years. It's excruciatingly stressful, but one hell of an unforgettable ride.