First they send in their drone… then they find their queen.

Paranoia is contagious.

-Taglines for the movie

I’ve always thought that Bug was a love story. It’s a love story between two intensely-damaged individuals… but it’s not called ‘Love Story,’ its called ‘Bug,’ so it’s probably about some other things, too. Namely, bugs. -Michael Shannon (actor) in behind-the-scenes video of the movie

Agnes (Ashley Judd) is a lonely waitress working in a lesbian bar. She lives in a grimy/rundown motel somewhere in rural Oklahoma. Her lesbian co-worker/friend, R.C. (Lynn Collins), introduces her to a quiet drifter, Peter (Michael Shannon). The woman talk, drink, and do some cocaine. After R.C. is called away, Agnes and Peter get to know each other. The next morning, Agnes’ violent/ex-con husband, Goss (Harry Connick, Jr.) suddenly appears. We learning of a great tragedy in Agnes’ past; she’s tired of being alone. She starts a romance w/ Peter, even though she knows V little about him. Peter (who could be in trouble for going AWOL from the military) thinks that there are bugs infecting the motel.

This low-budget horror (streaming free on various platforms) was shot in July/August of 2005 in Southern Louisiana; it wrapped up only a week before Hurricane Katrina hit. The apt. set was built inside a H.S. gym. Ironically, many of the crew members got rashes from bed bugs in their hotel rooms! Bug was originally a play written by Tracy Letts; Shannon (in his breakout role) had played Peter onstage for several years. Judd hadn’t acted for 2 yrs. when she got the script; she’d been doing work w/ the U.N. According to Collins (a classically-trained actress), director William Friedkin (who passed away this year) never took more than 4 takes. Friedkin said that this film is re: the widespread “infection” of paranoia everyone has, esp. the fear of terrorism. He thought that Peter is someone who could become a terrorist- the mentally unstable loner, out in the middle of nowhere.

[1] “Bug” is, at its core, a cautionary tale about the dangers of isolation and loneliness, compounded by drug and alcohol abuse.

[2] I thought this was an effective movie about paranoia and the human mental condition. It also shows to what lengths some people will go to not be alone anymore.

[3] “Bug” actually reminds me of the first Friedkin movies, also based on plays and more interested in character study than spectacular effects. It’s all the more striking that “Bug” looks like a young man’s movie, filled with energy, experimentation, absurd humor and a genuine sense of artistic freedom.

[4] I have to say that this was an incredibly disturbing psychological thriller that really freaked me out. I mean, these performances were absolutely amazing, most people are raving about Ashley Judd’s performance, but what about Michael Shannon? In my opinion, he had the best performance, he was so intense and he really draws you into the scene and the story.

-Excerpts from IMDb reviews