Beau is Afraid is the latest from director Ari Aster of Hereditary and Midsommar fame. Starring Joaquin Phonex as Beau, Beau is Afraid follows the anxiety-filled Beau as he tries to find his way to his mother’s house when new obstacles keep popping in his way. Already being described as Aster’s most divisive film, Beau is Afraid sets out to throw curveball after curveball to keep the audience constantly guessing.
I’m a big Ari Aster fan. I love Hereditary and Midsommar a lot and even his short films are memorable. With him, you’re always in for a ride but whether it’s to scare you or gaslight you, it is very effective. You’re also going to get strong performances out of his leas, as Joaquin Phoenix was very good as Beau. He nails the fear, anxiety, and confused emotions but can flip the switch and be a dominant, forceful man. As our audience surrogate, he captures all the emotions we were feeling while watching.
Beau is Afraid is a trip and a half. Phoenix joked around and said not to take shrooms before seeing this movie and he’s right. The movie follows Beau trying to go to his mother’s house on the anniversary of his father’s death but absolute chaos keeps him from getting there. There are some remarkable visuals and a beautiful sequence where Beau is in a cartoon world as the story of his life is being told. It honestly felt like an exhibition. It all culminates in an ending that is both heartbreaking and foreshadowed throughout the entire movie.
There are a lot of themes present in this movie, and if I had to knock it for something, it feels like some of them don’t get explored enough. The ones that stuck out to me were conditional love and guilt. The driver of what actually happens in the movie comes from someone feeling like they gave all their love to someone else and got nothing in return. The relationship is shown in spurts all movie long and it is an interesting dynamic. Â
Because of that, guilt hangs over the character. All throughout the film, they are watched and judged by others and themselves. But what I found really interesting is that there is guilt over small things you wouldn’t think about. For example, Beau runs away from a homeless man who comes at him aggressively, but he feels guilt for never trying to help him. When offered a ride to his mother’s house the following day, he insists it has to be that day. These encounters might be minor, but it becomes clear that Beau acts out of guilt and is ultimately judged for it.Â
Final Thoughts
I understand why Beau is Afraid can be divisive. It’s not really a fluid story that takes 3 hours to tell which can be a deterrent to a lot of people. Again, I think the movie introduces a lot of themes that they don’t explore that they could’ve. The film is also confusing as it toes the line between what is reality and what is a metaphor. In my case, I came into the film expecting not to know what was happening at all times and I believe it made it more enjoyable. Beau is Afraid is more experience than movie that can and should be rewatched. While it is not for everyone, I recommend this movie to everyone who wants to see it.
