Synopsis

Agnes, a lonely waitress hiding from her abusive ex-husband, lives in a rundown Oklahoma motel. Her tentative relationship with Peter, a mysterious Gulf War veteran, takes a disturbing turn when he claims that tiny insects have invaded the room and are part of a government conspiracy. As their fears intensify, reality and paranoia become increasingly difficult to separate.

Factoids & Trivia

• Tracy Letts adapted the screenplay from his own 1996 play, which premiered at London's Gate Theatre.

• Michael Shannon had already played Peter in an earlier stage production, making the film a return to one of his breakthrough roles.

• Most of the story takes place inside one motel room, but the production built the room's connected living area, kitchenette, and bathroom on a soundstage created inside a high school gymnasium.

• Filming took place in Southern Louisiana and California during July and August 2005. The production finished only about a week before Hurricane Katrina struck the region.

• The movie was filmed in just 21 days, an unusually brief schedule for a feature built around intense, escalating performances.

• Some crew members reportedly developed rashes after encountering bed bugs in their hotel rooms during production.

• Friedkin's approach was notably fast-paced. According to production anecdotes, he rarely used more than four takes and generally allowed scenes to begin without saying "action."

• Bug debuted at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival before Lionsgate released it theatrically in the United States in 2007.