No. 23 Bug (2006) 23 of 100

 

Here’s a film that will leave you scratching both your head and your skin after 100 minutes of disturbing viewing.

Ashley Judd stars as Agnes, a barmaid in a lesbian bar who has struggled in the ten years since her son disappeared during a supermarket visit. She lives in a grotty motel room and offers little resistance when her lesbian friend sets her up with a quiet man at the bar. This chap, Peter, played by our friend Mr Shannon is polite and says he doesn’t want sex as he’s off that kind of thing.

Agnes lets him stay the night, on the sofa, and the next morning Peter witnesses a domestic as Agnes’ recently freed husband shows up to take her money and punch her in the gut. Peter doesn’t intervene but gets some loving anyway.

The night of passion soon gives way to some disturbing moments as Peter feels a bite from a bug. He determines it to be an aphid and the room to be infested with them. The next day he’s invested in a load of bug spray and fly papers, but they do nothing to halt his growing phobia and paranoia.

Rather than tufting him out on his ass Agnes buys into the conspiracy Peter spouts, especially when he shows her the bugs are in his blood via his handy portable microscope. Things deteriorate quickly, and one cut later the whole room is covered in tin foil and illuminated only by bug zappers.

Petter explains the conspiracy he’s discovered, with a Pentaverate type cabal keen to infect the population with bugs so that they can exert control. He explains The Unabomber, Timothy McVeigh and even Jim Jones had all previously attempted to expose the truth and been eliminated for their trouble.

A Dr Sweet shows up at the door seeking to return Peter to his military care where he’s been treated for paranoia and bug related concerns. He gets whacked quicker than Scatman Carruthers in ‘The Shining’ but he does manage to suggest that he knows the whereabouts of Agnes’ son and the truth of the bugs. His untimely demise keeps Agnes, and ourselves, from the truth. Now completely bought in she and Peter strip and douse themselves in petrol – can they end their misery and the bug conspiracy – or are things not as they seem?

I quite liked this film which was an obvious adaptation from a stage play, with the action mostly happening on the hotel set. Shannon and Judd give great performances with both baring all for their art. Shannon is typically manic and some of his scenes went a bit too far for this viewer – pulling his teeth out with pliers was a look away moment for me!

The film does well to ratchet up the paranoia and I liked that some seeds were sown to suggest that Peter wasn’t quite as nutty as we first suspect. The coda at the credits suggested the whole thing may be a madman’s delusions and I think it’s up to the viewer to decide what actually happens. I always feel that endings like that are a bit of a cop out but it was an interesting, if somewhat disturbing experience throughout.

When is Shannon-On? - 08.45

Outcome? - Dead in fire (probably)

Film 3.5/5

Shannon Stars 4/5