Just perfect...

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

Things haven't been exactly peachy for director William Friedkin ever since To Live and Die in L.A. You wouldn't be remiss to expect great things from the guy that directed Sorcerer, The Exorcist and The French Connection - exceptional thrillers all. But alas no, the gods of the late eighties and nineties instead sought fit to deliver upon us a series of lame Friedkin flicks about things like: an adulterous wife (plus a car chase!), a man eating Ent, Tommy Lee Jones practising knife Kung – Fu in the ancient arboreal realm of Oregon and, not to be forgotten, another sterling foray into acting by one Shaquille O'Neill.But something changed in the mid-aughts, and it almost seemed like the director took a more critical look at the previous two movies he had directed at this point in his career and decided to make something within the same ballpark thematically, but direct and streamlined. Enter Bug – an intimate, claustrophobic thriller that just might be one of Bill Friedkin's stronger movies. Bug is the story of Agnes White (played magnificently by Ashley Judd) , a woman whose life seems to be in a state of stasis. Agnes lives in a motel quite literally in the middle of nowhere, and spends her days working as a waitress in her friend R.C.'s run-down bar. But when the sun sets, things go bump in the night, and she is plagued by constant anonymous phone calls from mute callers. A sordid past is implied in these calls, and our protagonist attributes these calls to her violent former husband Jerry. Paranoia seeps in, and Agnes seeks out solace in excessive wine and drug-use, as well as a "friends with benefits"- type relationship with R.C. One night, a party in Agnes' room is joined by a tall, dark and handsome weirdo named Peter (Michael Shannon in one of his best movie roles) and the story sets off from here. Agnes and Peter enter an awkward, but heartfelt relationship as both of their pasts begin to intersect in increasingly manic ways. At its core, Bug is a chamber drama about two people and how their personalities seep into one another in an attempt to heal their own emotional trauma. We slowly become aware of the turmoil that torments Agnes - a crippling tragedy tinged with guilt sits at the very core of her being, alongside the very tangible threat of an angry, fresh out of jail husband. In contrast, Peter is aloof, almost dazed, and at first he provides a degree of comfort to Agnes. Things slowly start spiralling out of control after the two have sex, as Peter starts seeing invisible insects crawling inside the motel room.The motif of the insect and infection is interesting, as it becomes a dramatic cornerstone. In simplified terms, the movie presents the idea that relationships between people in extreme emotional and mental states have an element of absorption (or infection, if you will) wherein ideas and norms from one person are internalised wholesale by the other one. This creates something of an endless chain of small ideas propagating from one host to the next in an endless loop. This is interesting from both a personal and an ideological level, as it seems to indicate how certain belief systems like conspiracy theories, and cult-like religious beliefs can be accepted by intelligent people. Agnes is a prime example of that, - losing her son has made her vulnerable to an almost pliable degree. Peter, the only person who offers her comfort and empathy, becomes a corrective force in her life. The side effect is that she internalises his worldviews as her own, as they present a modicum of escape as well as a way of externalising the reasons for her own grief. The movie presents this as a human way of dealing with grief, a form of self-defence mechanism that is dependent on the presence of other people.So, when it comes to its core story-line, the movie is relatively successful. Structurally, the first act is solid where you get a satisfying introduction with a core mystery with a well-defined emotional centre. The second act plays with the viewer by making them question things about the characters, and the infection angle remains intriguing throughout. It's a shame though, that it ends on a less than interesting note. But larger blemishes appear around the third act, as the movie takes a number of dramatic shortcuts that are largely unsatisfying or just plain lazy. The escalation towards the finale seems clumsy – a poorly explained and contextualised murder is topped off with a long-winded series of monologues where the characters narrating their own demise.The acting is stellar, Judd delivers a layered character that goes through a cavalcade of emotions through the movie but is kept together by a proud but very vulnerable frame. Towards the end, the character shifts into overdrive, and Judd delivers an almost hysterical sprint through every single human emotion, from elation to catatonia and back all within the span of few minutes. She sells Agnes' hesitant attraction towards Shannon's character fairly well, and deftly shows of the different emotional beats at the appropriate moment. Overall, the performance is almost a textbook showcase of a dizzying number of emotional situations through which Judd swiftly and effortlessly navigates. Shannon is also extremely impressive, honing in on a more consistent acting style. There are a few moments of whiplash- inducing intensity that ends up feeling a tad overwrought, but that seems more like a necessity borne of the script rather than the actor's fault. He successfully generates empathy, without ever presenting the character as psychotic or emotionally oblique.Bug is a solid piece of atmospheric film-making, with some genuine craft on display. The ending is hokey, but overall the movie absolutely will get under your skin.

This movie has an interesting beginning that is going to get you thrilled and make you think that this is a really good movie,but don't get fooled by that, because everything after that is pointless. A bunch of mixed, meaningless scenes that are going to bore you to death, and you will want to end this movie earlier.The end of the movie has no sense, so you wont have a clue of what you were watching before and what is the point of this movie.Creator of the movie didn't succeed to entertain audience,and after all he didn't explain the point of the movie. About genre... there is no horror, no drama, and a little bit of mystery. So DON'T waste your time, at all, with this movie!

The film's ambition seems to pay off towards the end, however the conclusion resolutes as a little rushed. Ashley Judd stars in Bug almost like Charlize Theron appeared in Monster, transformed by the harshness of her story, playing an extremely lonely woman who lets a chance at love destroy any state of a sound mind after she meets a disturbed AWOL officer played by Michael Shannon, who also appeared in the stage play the film is adapted from. It's a film about paranoia and "delusional parisitosis" but underneath it is also about heartbreak, motherhood, obsession and abuse and is really quite affective. The lengthy dialogue and single location can end up a bit jarring however...

I see some like this movie and some who don't but I think everyone can agree Ashley Judd and Michael Shannon killed it (no pun intended) in this flick. I really enjoyed this wild ride, such an unexpected and unique story which leaves you wondering what will happen next. Harry Connick jr. was also fantastic as the Prickly, abusive ex husband Jerry Goss and just added to the cornucopia of fine acting performances. If you enjoy the strange tales of the where the human mind may wander (eg: Requim for a dream, Momento, any Darren Aronofsky movie really I guess) then you will enjoy this. I really can't say enough good things about the casting and the overall quality of this film, check it for yourself and see.