Bug (2006 film)

Bug
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	William Friedkin
Produced by	John J. Anderson Kimberly C. Anderson Michael Burns Gary Huckabay Malcolm Petal Andreas Schardt Holly Wiersma
Screenplay by	Tracy Letts
Based on	Bug  by Tracy Letts
Starring	Ashley Judd Michael Shannon Lynn Collins Brian F. O'Byrne Harry Connick, Jr.
Music by	Brian Tyler
Cinematography	Michael Grady
Editing by	Darin Navarro
Studio	DMK Mediafilms International Inferno Distribution LIFT Prod.
Distributed by	Lionsgate
Release date(s)	May 19, 2006 (2006-05-19) (Cannes) May 25, 2007 (2007-05-25)
Running time	102 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$4 million
Box office	$8,059,140

Bug is a 2006 horror/thriller directed by William Friedkin, and starring Ashley Judd, Michael Shannon and Harry Connick, Jr..

The film, written by Tracy Letts, is based on his own play of the same name.

Plot

Agnes White is a waitress living in a run-down motel in rural Oklahoma. Unable to move on from the disappearance of her son some years previously, she engages in drug and alcohol binges with her lesbian friend, R.C. Lately, she has been plagued by silent telephone calls that she believes are being made by her abusive ex-husband, Jerry Goss, who has recently been released from prison.

One night, R.C. introduces Agnes to Peter Evans, a drifter who says he is a recently discharged soldier. Agnes and Peter reach out to each other out of loneliness, and start a relationship. It soon becomes apparent to the viewer (but not Agnes) that Peter is mentally ill: He convinces her that he was the subject of biological testing by the U.S. government while he was in the military, and that the anonymous phone calls she has been receiving were made by government agents in anticipation of his arrival. Soon, Peter tells Agnes that their room has become infested by bugs sent there by the government as part of their experiments. Agnes is quickly pulled into Peter's delusions, accepting his explanations that R.C. and Jerry Goss are also part of a government conspiracy to capture him.

Over time Peter and Agnes isolate themselves from the outside world, sealing themselves in their room and covering it with flypaper and aluminum foil and lighting it with the glow from bug zappers. Peter, believing that a colony of microscopic bugs have infested one of his teeth, tears it out of his head. Peter's movements and behavior become more erratic as he "fights" invisible bugs that he claims are infesting his body, causing Agnes to mimic his behavior.

A Dr. Sweet arrives, saying that Peter has escaped while under treatment at a mental institution. Peter kills Sweet, telling Agnes that he was a robot sent by the government. Together, Peter and Agnes elaborate upon Peter's initial delusion, creating a complex conspiracy plot involving Agnes' son being kidnapped by the government to lead her and Peter to meeting; and that each of them is infected with bugs that are meant to mate with one another and take over the world. In order to prevent this, Agnes and Peter douse each other in gasoline and set themselves on fire.

As the film ends, the audience sees Agnes and Peter's room completely intact, with no sign of a fire or any bodies other than that of Dr. Sweet.

Cast

• Ashley Judd as Agnes White
• Michael Shannon as Peter Evans
• Lynn Collins as R. C.
• Brian F. O'Byrne as Dr. Sweet
• Harry Connick, Jr. as Jerry Goss

Production

Financing

The film was produced and financed by L.I.F.T. Production, Bug LLC, DMK Medienfonds and Lionsgate with a budget of $4 million.^{[citation needed]}

Settings

Its set design was done by Franco-Giacomo Carbone, the production designer of films such as Hostel (2005) and Rocky Balboa (2006).

Most of the film's action occurs in a seedy motel room. The scenario has three interconnected rooms — a bathroom, a kitchenette and a living room. At one point in the film, the room has several dozen fly strips hanging from the ceiling. At another point the entire room is covered from floor to ceiling in tinfoil. Friedkin has said the tinfoil was a nightmare to work with, because it had to be repaired constantly, and because it reflected everybody who was there, including the crew.

Filming locations

Exteriors of the motel were filmed near Mammoth, California, and at Grace King High School while studio interiors of the motel room were filmed on a soundstage in Metairie, Louisiana, near New Orleans. A grocery store scene was shot at Migliore’s Grocery, and the lesbian bar scene was shot at Boomerang’s Bar, both located in New Sarpy, Louisiana.

Music

Score
The film was scored by Brian Tyler and the musical direction/supervision is by Jay Faires. The score was released as digital download on May 22, 2007.

Soundtrack

Main article: Bug (2006 soundtrack)

The film's theme song is performed by Serj Tankian, the lead singer of the rock band System of a Down. The lead track, "Learning to Drive", is performed by Scott Weiland, the lead singer of the rock band Stone Temple Pilots.

Additional artists are Sean and Sara Watkins (of Nickel Creek), Chainsaw Kittens, The Backsliders, Susan Tedeschi, Jerry Leiber, and The Coasters, Alvin Robinson, Los Tigres del Norte, Leon Russell and Brian Tyler.

The soundtrack was released in stores on May 22, 2007.

Releases

The film is distributed by Lionsgate.

It made its world premiere in May 2006 in France in the Directors' Fortnight section at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival.

The film received its U.S. premiere at Fantastic Fest on September 25, 2006, in Austin, Texas. It opened in the U.S. at 1,661 theaters on May 25, 2007. In its opening weekend it earned $3.24 million, and ranked as number four, of the most-seen films of the weekend, placed behind the threequels Pirates of the Caribbean 3, Shrek 3 and Spider-Man 3.

It was released to theaters in France on February 21, 2007. It drew praise from most critics in France, but did not reach the top in the box office. In its opening week in France, it ranked as number twenty of the most-visited films of the week, and earned $216,244 from sixty-six screens.

It received a very limited United Kingdom release on November 9, 2007.^{[citation needed]}

As of June 8, the film was in 331 theaters nationwide.

Marketing

Friedkin has said that the film would have been flagged, in the 1960s or 1970s, as a horror film, but he insists it is no such thing. He told ComingSoon.net that "There were all sorts of people who looked at Bug, (including magazine people like Fangoria,) and they called it a horror film," he said. The horror connection "came from a lot of sources." Friedkin claims that Bug is "in many ways, a black comedy love story. He stated in an interview, that "It's not a genre film, but marketing works in mysterious ways. They have to find a genre for it. 'This is a comedy. This is a melodrama. This is a love story. This is a horror film. This is an adventure film.' Bug doesn't fit easily into any of those categories."

Home media

Bug was released on DVD. It was also available on HD DVD as a German exclusive, and has subsequently been released on Blu-ray Disc in Germany as well.^{[citation needed]} A North American Blu-ray Disc release never materialized.

Reception

The film received mixed to positive reviews from film critics; at Rotten Tomatoes, a review aggregator, it has a 61% "Fresh" overall approval out of 129 reviews from critics. The consensus states: "Disappointing resolution aside, Bug uses its claustrophobic setting and cinéma vérité camerawork to tense, impressive effect." Metacritic reported the film had an average score of 62 out of 100, indicating "generally favorable reviews" based on 29 reviews.

On May 22, 2006, film critic Roger Ebert wrote, "The film has caused a stir at Cannes, not least because its stars, Ashley Judd and Michael Shannon, achieve a kind of manic intensity that’s frightening not just in itself but because you fear for the actors." Ashley Judd was praised for her performance as critic Dennis Dermody from Paper says "Ashley Judd gives a raw, shattering Oscar-worthy performance". Stephen Schaeffer from Boston Herald praised the film saying "one of the most disturbing horror movies imaginable". The film received generally positive reviews from the U.K. media, receiving three out of five in The Guardian.^{[citation needed]} It was also critic Mark Kermode's film of the week on BBC Radio 5 Live.^{[citation needed]}

Awards

The film received an award at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival from the International Federation of Film Critics in the Director's Fortnight section.

Judd was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Actress.

See also

Delusional parasitosis Folie à deux

Gulf War syndrome Morgellons disease Paranoia

References

External links

• Official website
• Bug at the Internet Movie Database
• Bug at AllRovi
• Bug at Box Office Mojo
• Bug at Rotten Tomatoes
• Bug at Metacritic