Bug

About a year ago, I wrote a post about the terrific film Killer Joe, directed by the legendary William Friedkin and written by playwright Tracy Letts. Acouple of weeks back, I went and revisited their first collaboration, 2006's Bug. Here's my thoughts.

Agnes, Ashley Judd, is a barmaid living out of a rundown motel room in Oklahoma. She numbs herself with drugs and alcohol while trying to forget the disappearance of her son years earlier. She also lives in fear of her recently paroled ex husband Jerry, Harry Connick, Jr. One night, she meets Peter, Michael Shannon, through a mutual friend. The two hit it off and she lets Peter move in with her. Not soon after, Peter believes that he has been infested with bugs that the government has implanted in him. In her paranoid state, Agnes believes that they have infested her as well, as the line between fear and reality begins to blur.

This is a very suspenseful little film. The performances are great all around. Judd and Shannon are quite effective as is Connick, shedding his good guy persona to play a sadistic creep. Friedkin knows how to amp up the manic feel of the proceedings. It's hard to tell sometimes just what is reality and what is drug fueled paranoia.

Friedkin and Letts collaborate well together and I hope the two team up again for future projects. Pardon the pun, but this one will get under your skin.

It's available on dvd.