Beau Is Afraid: A Completely Screwed Up Film – Even More Please!

By Deepak Grover Last updated Apr 22, 2023

When discussing heightened horror, one of the directors that spring to mind is Ari Aster. Truth be told, George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead demonstrates that the concept of using horror as art and making a provocative statement is nothing new. However, Aster’s visually breathtaking horror film uses themes from his earlier movies, such as family, sorrow, and overcoming trauma, as a backdrop. Beau Is Afraid is a humorous twist in which the filmmaker leans further and harder towards lunacy.

Joaquin Phoenix plays Beau Wassermann in the Aster-directed film Beau Is Afraid, a paranoid and anxious man with a controlling mother. When Beau learns terrible news, he sets out to find his mother, but along the way, a lot of bizarre stuff happens. The movie employs dark humor and terror, similar to a road trip comedic adaptation of Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho. Although it may sound strange, it perfectly captures the various elements of Beau Is Afraid.

Aster’s script is bursting at the seams with fascinating ideas. Three are there for a large portion of the entire film. Manhood, a mother-and-son relationship that is toxic, and a love that was lost are all topics that Aster addresses. These sections are generally brilliantly written, with excellent images and metaphors—more on that later.

Because of the other a thousand comments, some movies suffer as a result.

For instance, Aster makes a comment about the TikTok generation in Act II that hasn’t been included in a movie but then quickly drops the subject without offering much of a conclusion. I knew Aster just wanted to mention it briefly, but I wasn’t sure how he planned to work it into Beau Is Afraid. The director uses this technique several more times in the entire movie, to the point that the writing feels bloated. But even with the unimportant topics, the writing is excellent.

The writing excels when it conveys the idea of a dysfunctional, manipulative relationship between mother and son, particularly from the perspective of the former. Aster has frequently discussed familial dynamics, and Beau Is Afraid continues that trend.

It demonstrates how the writing of the director has only gotten stronger. A love story that fits well into the insane storyline can nonetheless be included in the various parts where the screenplay calls for these vivid metaphors in the conversation.

Beau Is Afraid’s visual aesthetic, however, helps to highlight the writing’s depth.

The movie was directed by Aster, and it had a Truman Show-style atmosphere with LCD pumped into it. Beau’s way of thinking about the world reveals how paranoid he is. The commotion on the streets is carried over into the next scene by the direction throughout the entire film. From Beau’s perspective, there is a lot of anxiety, but from Aster’s perspective, there is a method to the madness.

It’s chaotic, sometimes beautiful, sometimes anarchic. This breathtaking sequence of events near the close of ACT II helped me understand Beau’s aspirations for a better life. I begged for more after that magnificent series of brilliant colors. Alternately, Aster repeats this later in Beau Is Afraid in a manner that confirms to me just how messed up the director’s head is. I honestly don’t know where to start, other than to say that it made my jaw drop to the floor.

Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Ryan (Grace), Nathan Lane (Roger), and Patti LuPone (Mona Wassermann, Beau’s mother), along with the rest of the ensemble, do an excellent job with the material. Phoenix mainly uses two modes—frightened and perplexed—but does so in a variety of entertaining ways. He serves as the ideal stand-in for a number of WTF moments, which the cast greatly enhances. As an illustration, Grace and Roger are a devoted married pair who cheerfully assist Beau. In contrast, the welcoming hand and smile hide the axe-wielding hand behind their back.

In Beau Is Afraid, even LuPone is at the top of her game. The abuse was so convincingly depicted that it truly brought back memories from my early years. Even if Parker Posey’s (Elaine Bray) acting is on par with Phoenix’s, it effectively depicts gaslighting, and the actress should be commended for her efforts.

Thanks to the acting talents of Armen Nahapetian (Teen Beau) and Julia Antonelli (Teen Elaine), there is chemistry between the two characters throughout the entire film. It is continued by Phoenix and Posey, and the tension leading up to the two meetings is justified. Their conversation is spot on, and it ends in a disturbingly funny way that could only have been achieved by the performers.

The horror-comedy genre was Aster’s first effort, and the director succeeded with Beau Is Afraid. The director is now 3 for 3 despite the unnecessary narrative lines and a duration that should have been cut by thirty minutes. Although not everyone will enjoy the movie, everyone should go in with an open mind. Get ready for one of the most bizarre movies of 2023.