Quite simply, William Friedkin's Bug left me in complete awe. Not only was it an impeccably written and astoundingly acted piece of film-making, it is one of the only films that I can think of that came close to accurately portraying mental illness. Most film-makers forget one very crucial thing about the mentally ill: many of them can actually function in real-life society...for a time, anyway. When we first meet Peter Evans, we suspect that there is something off about him. But we never for a minute think that he is severely mentally unstable. What we see is a wondering, sad soul who seems to perfectly compliment Agnes White, a tired waitress working at a rural Oklahoma lesbian bar. When she gets battered by her recently paroled abusive ex-husband, she begins to cling to Peter. Unfortunately, this happens right as Peter begins to act...odd. First, he starts to find invisible bugs. Second, he begins to say that the bugs are in his bloodstream. And then, finally, he reveals that the bugs were planted in his bloodstream by the U.S. government. You can see where this is going. Bug was advertised as a horror film. And while there is certainly a healthy serving of that (particularly one scene where Peter "realizes" that there is a bug hive in one of his teeth), it never seems forced or melodramatic. Friedkin's pacing is superb, letting us understand how Agnes could get drawn into Peter's delusions. Many criticized Bug's ending for being over-the-top. But I disagree. I don't think it could have ended any other way. Watch it and decide for yourself. This is a film that demands to be seen.
9/10
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