Beau is Afraid Review: A Genre-Bending Beautiful Mess!

Sometimes it is dangerous to give a director such “God-like” status so early in their career. Ari Aster made a name for himself upon the release of his first feature film Hereditary in 2018, which received critical and audience acclaim. Following this, his second feature Midsommar was praised for his exploration of a dysfunctional relationship with Florence Pugh’s performance being applauded.

Only after two films was Ari Aster’s name being thrown around as one of the best directors in horror today, which led to high expectations for his third feature Beau is Afraid starring Joaquin Phoenix. Having enjoyed Midsommar but disliked Hereditary, the intrigue for Beau was that much more for this critic. After spending three hours with Beau, it is safe to say that not only this is Ari Aster’s strongest film, but it is one of the strongest film entries in the past couple of years for its genre bending, beautiful “mess.”

Following a therapy session scene in the beginning of the film it becomes evident Beau (Joaquin Phoenix) is a quiet and timid man from growing up with his mother and her hold on his identity. When the film’s inciting incident occurs, Beau is set on a journey where he must face the fears that have plagued him since childhood. Aster creates a masterpiece drama with anxiety inducing sequences that mirror Beau’s fear for the world stemming from his relationship with his mother.

The therapy session in the beginning unpacks, in simple terms, what the overarching idea of the film is while allowing Ari Aster to take his time in the three hour frame to create a five act drama-epic of discovery, confusion, and failure. It is a black dramatic-trauma comedy that places the audience into Beau’s psyche and slowly makes the audience look into themselves in how Beau’s dilemma is in fact more real than we would like to admit.

Aster’s direction in the five acts of the film portrays a structure like an epic of discovery but in a more nihilistic fashion. He portrays an exploration of Beau’s complex feelings towards his mother, feeling the guilt of needing to unconditionally love her no matter what because she is his mother, while also grappling with his subconscious hatred towards her. The scariest part of Beau is Afraid is the entire concept surrounding the film, that because our mothers gave birth to us, we are expected to fulfill her expectations of love and our forever obligation to give her the world no matter what. In this, he created a horror film without having to dip into the genre completely and instead moving in a different direction than his previous two films.

Every scene and image in the film has a purpose and nothing is ever added for “shock” or to be pretentiously artsy. It all plays into Beau’s journey physically and emotionally. One of the most “artistic” sequences is one in which Beau watches a play unfold by a production company in the forest. It is as mesmerizing as it is telling how Aster’s vision for cinema is one that will be exciting to watch as his career progresses. Although Beau Is Afraid may turn off fans of his previous work, this new direction for Aster is one that he should certainly continue and build off of. It is worth every minute and it is Aster’s best film yet.

‘Beau is Afraid’ Rating – 5/5

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