“Bug” is William Friedkin’s R-rated flick, starring Ashley Judd as Agnes and Michael Shannon as Peter.
While many interpretations exist regarding the film’s content, everyone who’s seen it can agree that this film is almost entirely psychological, although it was marketed otherwise (for better or worse.)
Indeed, we don’t see any physical “bugs” in the film, but only are made aware of their possible existence through the eyes of Peter, an eventually Agnes. A simple hint can be found in the title alone: “Bug” is not plural but singular, suggesting a bug more of the audio surveillance variety rather than an insect. You can also look to the film’s tagline: “Paranoia is contagious.” In its simplest terms, the entire film could then be a metaphor for how technology has and continues to invade our lives, similar to how physical bugs would (infesting our lives, making us physically and mentally sick, sucking us dry… without being visible to the naked eye.) Of course, technology doesn’t run itself, and as seen through the paranoid eyes of Peter, it’s our own government who uses such methods to strip us of our privacy.
It’s important to note that the 2006 film is based on the play of the same name, written by Tracy Letts and released in 1993. Director William Friedkin apparently enjoyed the play to the extent of suggesting its adaptation on-screen, even insisting that the lead in the play (Michael Shannon) perform the same role in the film.
So… on to a few points and theories.
Folie à Deux
Many proclaim “Bug” is a simple case of folie à deux, or madness/psychosis shared by two people. Although Aggie certainly seems a bit off kilter, she’s recognizably sane in comparison to Peter; it’s his persistent talk of “bugs” that pulls Aggie in, until eventually Aggie’s rationality disappears completely. Take this passage for example (said by Peter to Agnes after Jerry leaves):
“You should be scared at night. People can do things to you, things you don’t even know about. They try to control you, force you to act a certain way. They can drive you crazy too… You’re never really safe. Maybe one time a long time ago people were safe, but that’s all over, not anymore, not on this planet. We can’t be, not with all the technology, chemicals, the Information. In bed at night, sometimes you can feel it. All the machines, the works… humming.”
Although Aggie wants to laugh at this talk, she sees how serious Peter is, an instinctively portrays that she believes him in order not to hurt his feelings. Peter himself says that he often scares people with what he talks about, and therefore perhaps is more inclined to keep talking since Agnes is a rare soul willing to listen. In this way, Agnes and Peter are both outsiders looking to fill a void of their loneliness, with Aggie wanting to care and nurture like the mother she never got to be (not to mention having the company of a gentle, sensitive man vs. a man like Jerry,) and Peter wanting to find someone who believes his thoughts, and therefore allows him to elaborate on them. Agnes: “I rather talk to you about bugs than nothing with nobody.”
As far as to where this madness originated, many claim Agnes and Peter both were high and delirious from smoking crack or meth, and therefore Peter’s delusions were simply intensified after this. However, there’s no evidence Peter partook in any drugs, not to mention his beliefs on bugs being purposely sprayed into drugs like cocaine. If one examines the play in relation to the film, it appears booze, cocaine and weed are the only drugs mentioned, therefore excluding the possibility of meth as the reason for the “self-inflicted” wounds, as well as any substance being smoked other than weed. If anything, they got “high” from all the bug spray.
In addition, the first time they both experience the “helicopter” noises is after they have sex, which we as the audience must presume is the afternoon or night after Peter first showed up to the motel with RC. Therefore, if they somehow managed to smoke or take drugs in this timeframe, I’m sure the director would’ve included it; they both were hearing/feeling the helicopter vibrations without being high, even if it was a delusion.
So, while the spreading of madness certainly plays a heavy role in this film, I feel there are several other different theories that can apply here.
What Happened to Lloyd?
In the grocery store scene, it’s assumed from Agnes’ emotions that she left Lloyd alone for a moment in the shopping cart while she went to grab onions. This in itself is ironic in relation to the metaphor of the onion, in the sense that the film forces us to “peel the onion,” or look deeper under its surface layers in order to find the real truth. This is another small reason why personally I felt the film had more going on than mere insanity or drug-induced delusions. It seemed to be asking us to pry deeper into what was happening, and not just accept the film’s “mistruths,” or easy-to-believe plot solutions. It’s such tiny scenes in the film that many forget to remember, but they may just be the most important.
Peter = Lloyd
In the play, Agnes is 44 years old. She lost her son Lloyd ten years previous at the grocery store when he was six. This would make Lloyd about 16 during the film’s timeframe. Surely Michael Shannon’s character looks older than sixteen, while Judd’s character looks more like 34 than 44. Still, there are several instances in the film where I strongly felt Peter could have been Agnes’s son Lloyd.
First, there is no explanation as to how/why Peter wandered to that part of Oklahoma. Oddly RC “introduces” Peter an Agnes, supposedly by mere chance. But what if Peter was tracking his birth parents? If he indeed was kidnapped and tested upon by various governmental agencies, perhaps he somehow learned in the process where at least one of his biological parents resided; maybe he was simply looking for answers as to why all of these bad things happened to him. This would explain why he’s absent in the scene where RC and Agnes party, almost implying that was snooping around the house, as well as why he pulls out Lloyd’s toys.
When Jerry walks in on Peter looking at slides under a microscope, Peter says he’s examining his own blood and skin cells, perhaps suggesting that he was trying to find any remaining DNA on the toys to compare it with his own. Peter even tries picking at Jerry’s hair to get his sample. Eye to eye, Jerry thanks Peter for looking out for Agnes, an assumes they aren’t sleeping together, which, for an abusive, controlling man like Jerry, is something that wouldn’t be assumed simply because Peter was a bit weird. If anything, Jerry would have beat up Peter anyway. But he simple smiles as if he knows something of Peter’s identity that we do not, while messing with Peter’s hair before he leaves, like how you would playfully mess with a child’s hair. He even refers to him as “Peter Piper” when he leaves; perhaps a mere ploy on Peter’s name, but also perhaps signifying that he knows who Peter is. In addition, Jerry says that Peter reminds him a guy that he did two years of jail time for; earlier in the film, Jerry mentions a guy he ratted out named Mickey, who Agnes was supposedly fond of. So, perhaps Peter (Lloyd) wasn’t Jerry’s biological son, and therefore Jerry somehow had the young boy kidnapped in exchange for money, while remaining friends with Mickey until he “ratted him out.
In the midst of this, Peter tells Agnes that she’s too young to be his mother, although he does “assume” that she had a child, which she never told him (although perhaps he saw the toys and made a connection.) Still, I was curious as to why the “paranoia” with the helicopters and phone ringing, all began after they had sex. I’m in no way suggesting this was a scene of incest, but rather that the “shared madness” took over almost immediately after the intercourse occurred; almost like a creepy, foreboding, Oedipal curse. As the film goes on, we see that both characters’ loneliness draws them together, but still, Agnes’ love for Peter seems maternal in a sense.
Peter as Agnes’ Delusion
In the film’s cover photo, we see Michael Shannon’s face hidden within Judd’s. This goes along with the theory many hold that perhaps Peter was all a delusion to Agnes, or perhaps Peter’s character was part of her psyche, like a split personality.
It’s more plausible to believe that Peter was part of Agnes’ split personality, although the film never gives clues that Agnes’ mental faculties are that deteriorated. Still, there are certain scenes that make us question Agnes’ state of mind. In the beginning, we see Agnes close-up, and witness her reactions to the phone ringing. In a mild state of paranoia, she says something like “Damn you Jerry, I could get the cops after you,” while a moment later she’s laughing at herself, as if it can’t possibly be Jerry. In the scene when her and RC party, one minute Aggie is up at the freezer, and the next she is on the couch laughing, presumably way more wasted. It’s these shots that don’t show us the happenings in between, that might be clues for us in figuring out Agnes’ state of mind. One minute she’s sure it was Jerry calling, calm yet bold in her predictions, an another minute she’s vulnerably uncertain.
At the bar when RC says she wants Agnes to meet someone, Agnes and the audience both see Peter, but we don’t see Agnes actually meeting Peter. The scene flashes straight to RC and Peter pulling up to Agnes’ house, where it’s assumed that Agnes returned home early from work. Then, as mentioned previously, there is no sign of Peter until RC leaves. Even when Peter reenters the main part of the motel room to say “I’m not a mass murderer,” he seems virtually invisible an unheard until RC goes to use the phone. Essentially, all noteworthy dialogue that comes from Peter occurs when he’s alone with Agnes.
This probably is my least favorite theory, as we must presume that RC acknowledges both Peter and Agnes in the scene where Agnes slaps RC. Still, even some of the ending scenes point to this as a possibility, such as when Dr. Sweet arrives and tells Agnes that Peter is dangerous, perhaps acknowledging that the scared but semi-sensible person he’s speaking with is Agnes, while Peter, her other half, is the dangerous, suicidal side. We don’t see Peter until he kills Dr. Sweet, which just as easily could have been Agnes switching from hot to cold again.
Another thought: What if Agnes was simply Peter’s delusion or part of Peter’s split personality?
Dr. Sweet
If Dr. Sweet wasn’t a delusion, he certainly wasn’t a doctor. Even in 1991, doctors and psychiatrists don’t go out looking for their patients, and they don’t generally care about their welfare outside the office. His smoking whatever was in the pipe did not signify his gaining Agnes’ trust, in my opinion, as he still tells her he sees the bugs too. When someone is having a delusion or is in psychosis, you’re not supposed to play along with their delusion, driving them further into it; obviously you’re not supposed to say they’re wrong and persecute them either, but there are other ways to handle the situation.
Even take this dialogue for example:
Dr. Sweet to Agnes: “I’m his doctor. He’s my project.”
Agnes: “Why are they doing this?”
Dr. Sweet: “It’s what ‘they’ do.”
Notice Dr. Sweet didn’t say “patient,” and he acknowledges to Agnes that there is a “they” after them. He even says something along the lines of, “If you keep cutting Peter up there won’t be anything left of him for me.” And when he’s about to light up an Agnes says he’s sitting on something flammable, he doesn’t even flinch.
I also had a theory that maybe Dr. Sweet and Jerry were the same person (Jerry mentions having a sweet tooth.) Although, this would only work as part of Agnes’ or Peter’s delusion.
RC
RC is another character I was suspicious of. While many claimed RC was the “reality check” in the situation, I found her behavior strange as well.
Why was Peter in a lesbian bar, and if this was his first time in the area, how did RC know him, and if she didn’t, what made her immediately trust him and consider him “harmless”? When she makes a phone call during their party, she dials a number and literally starts talking, as if the line didn’t even ring or better yet, she was faking the phone call as an excuse to leave. For those that felt the phone ringing or not ringing was key to the film’s plot, what if the phone wasn’t working at all? That’d mean RC was playing into Aggie’s delusion as well. Not to mention leaving Agnes alone with Peter, a man she supposedly just met.
I also wondered how RC and her lesbian lover getting custody of a kid fit into the story.
What makes this film so particularly disturbing is the fact that, no matter how ridiculous, all conspiracy theories have the potential to be true. Is the government tracking, following and spying on its citizens to psychologically torture them and keep them in line? Do they take even more extreme measures with potential threats like ex-veterans and military men, who’ve witnessed things they weren’t supposed to? Peter is suspected as a possible mental asylum escapee; did the government put him there once their “tests” went wrong? You can disagree with any of this in regards to the film and real life, but you can’t disagree that the government indeed has the power to do such things. And if so, they definitely have the power to lead two mentally fragile people together.
In the film, Peter and Agnes obsess about bugs, and we as the audience either believe them or find them crazy. The scratches, sores, itching, bug spray, bug zappers and tin foil all lead us to believe that Agnes and Peter think they’re infested with insects. But what if this entire film (and play) was using insects as a metaphor for invasive technology (as mentioned in the beginning of this article)? What if Peter really did have a “bug,” or chip in his head that was trying to control his actions? Isn’t that more believable than an insect? Tin foil hats are commonly laughed upon as being able to prevent electromagnetic waves from reaching the brain, yet now studies are coming out that say cell phones can have a negative effect on the brain. Science fiction or science?
Perhaps my point is that while Peter may not have ever had a physical bug or technological bug in his head, perhaps his paranoia was caused by a tumor or something physical that resulted from radiation or other technological advances. Pair this with a mental defect that may or may not have existed pre-military, and you have a recipe for disaster. And while a tumor is certainly less “paranormal” than a bug, it’s no less evil on the part of our government to impose an use such damaging devices to control our country.
I’ve personally gone through bipolar episodes and have had spells of delirium induced by many factors, and one can definitely hallucinate an exaggerate things in their mind. However, the root cause of paranoia isn’t easily discovered but does exist. For example, someone could have very much been following Peter, as we’re made to believe Dr. Sweet was, but we also have a hard time believing Peter’s bug theory. Because the bug theory seems so outrageous, we’re quick to dismiss everything else we know about Peter, as it’s all too easy to wrap up every paranoid thought into one big package. But the reality is that while Peter may have exaggerated his bug theory, his exaggerations probably stemmed from a very real “trigger,” or event that gave him the absolute right to be paranoid. Peter also connects his bug theory with very real events and people, such as Timothy McVeigh, the People’s Temple (mass suicide) and the Bilderberg Group, giving his theory some validity.
Setting:
Another element that makes this film disturbing is the setting. The motel appears to be in the middle of nowhere Oklahoma, while the name of the motel is on its roof, which doesn’t make sense unless something coming from above (like a helicopter) needed to see it. Throughout the film the motel also gives off this vibe like it’s a prison, or some sort of secret nuclear test site, making RC’s statement about “putting bars on the windows” seriously bleak.
Details I Found Interesting:
When RC leaves, Peter grabs a bag off the hook by the door; we don’t see him with a bag any other time.
Peter says his mom’s been dead a long time, and his father is a preacher from Beaver with no people to preach to. I wonder why this mysterious detail was included in the script.
Aggie says it’s bad luck to kill a cricket, until her and Peter discover it was the smoke alarm. If they smashed the alarm, and the candles stayed lit from the party, could a fire have occurred sooner in the film than we thought? And was the cricket metaphor still signifying bad luck to come?
Peter goes out back holding the smoke alarm and starts to hear things. Then he comes into the motel from a back door we never see except in that one take.
Peter to Agnes: “You’re different. You don’t speak the code.”
After they sleep together and the phone rings, Agnes says, “It’s Goss.” Peter appears to reply, “You were Goss once.”
Jerry lays down on the bed and says, “Who doesn’t have a T.V.? Martians could be landing, they could be evacuating the city for all we know.” Then he winks.
Dr. Sweet to Agnes: “Do you know why he (Peter) was institutionalized?” Dr. Sweet never answers the question.
Ambiguity
Perhaps why the film (and play) are left ambiguous is because we aren’t supposed to know the truth, and therefore cannot judge Agnes and Peter either way. An even if they died in a state of madness, at least they had each other.
I urge you to share your thoughts.
