Emma Stone dazzles Venice with alien kidnap drama

In her latest film, US actress Emma Stone plays a powerful CEO who is kidnapped by two men who believe she's an alien.

It might sound a little out there, but Bugonia is one of the most talked-about movies at this year's Venice Film Festival, thanks to its unique depiction of the impact of conspiracy theories and echo chambers.

The film could easily have been a preachy lecture about the dangers of the internet. But Bugonia, directed by Oscars favourite Yorgos Lanthimos, is spinning a lot more plates than you initially think, and there is more at play than meets the eye.

"There's so much that's happening that I think is reflective of this point in time and our world," says Stone at the film's launch, "and is told in a way that I found really fascinating, moving, funny, [messed]-up and alive."

The film is Stone's fourth collaboration with Lanthimos following The Favourite, Kinds of Kindness and Poor Things - which won the 36-year-old her second best actress Oscar.

"The opportunity to get to work on these things that I have with him has been just a dream," Stone reflects, "because this material, there's so much [to confront]."