One man's journey into madness as he battles paranoia, anxiety, major mommy issues, guilt, childhood trauma, fear, mania... ***Beau Is Afraid*** is basically 100 symbolisms and metaphors per minute, to the point where I don't believe anyone can really decipher it fully (except for Ari Aster himself). The narrative is dense and goes into the convoluted and abstract territory but it's incredibly ambicious. Too ambicious? I support Aster for not being afraid and doing something unique and different but this was a bit too much for me. It throws A LOT of ridiculous and weird stuff at you but I feel like most of it is there just to be weird, it doesn't have purpose, it just bloats the runtime and confuses the viewer for no apparent reason. It's an endless loop of crazyness and it gets repetitive and frustrating after three hours (felt like five hours). I couldn't wait for it to be over and I came out of the theater exhausted. The final part is also the least interesting. An extremely long movie for such a small statement and it didn't make me feel much at the end. It probably needs a few rewatches for me to get everything but i'm not sure this deserves another three hours of my life.

Beau-tiful cinematography and visuals, pitch black humor, great attention to detail in every frame, some deeply uncomfortable and disturbing moments, loved every set piece and Joaquin Phoenix is the best thing about this. His performance is what makes the weird and ridiculous pass in a lot of the scenes and keeps the viewer interested. Patti LuPone stole the spotlight when she shows up she was amazing.

A hard one to give a rating to, i'm not sure I can do it. I'll think about it but right now, i'm afraid!

Not really plot or character driven, this is more like one of those emotional rollercoaster/experiential type of movies. Think _Gravity_, where it’s less about the plot or Sandra Bullock and more about experiencing anxiety in space for 90 minutes. This plays with similar emotions, but with Ari Aster behind the camera there’s a stronger focus on subjective filmmaking and surrealism. The entire film is a unique, comedic nightmare. Unfortunately I think it’s also quite easily Aster’s worst film to date. To start off, it simply doesn’t have enough meat on the bones to keep the viewer engaged for the entire runtime, too often does it fall back to the same bag of tricks whenever we go into panic mode (e.g. people yelling, absurdist imagery, match cuts, dark comedy). I won’t say that it wasn’t effective or memorable, but it should’ve been condensed to the best moments. Moreover, it’s unable to carry itself with the characters or story. I found Beau to be a poorly developed protagonist, it’s hard to connect with him due the lack of detail in the writing and one-note performance by Phoenix. He’s a representation of an idea, and because of that he feels more like a type than a character. The bigger picture that the movie gets at is somewhat interesting, but like _Midsommar_, it could’ve dug a little deeper with its ideas (especially given its runtime). It doesn’t comment on social anxiety or paranoia in any way that’s particularly mindblowing, if anything it feels like a surface level exploration of its causes and effects. I think the movie is truly at its best when it’s simply Aster playing the viewer like a violin, the most interesting scenes here are constructed like a maze of emotions. Thankfully there’s more than enough of that, but like already mentioned, it’s not enough to carry a 3 hour movie. Aster continues to be a great filmmaking talent (excellent cinematography & editing, interesting sound design), but he needs a creative partner to reign himself in.

5/10

Beau is Afraid certainly boasts an incredibly rich and intricate narrative, filled with a plethora of allegories, symbolisms, and thematic elements. However, one may question whether the complexity of the film is worth sacrificing entertainment value. In attempting to weave together these complex themes, Ari Aster has created a narrative that was very difficult for me to fully process.

During the first hour of the movie, I found myself engrossed in the story, with tense scenes that blurred the lines between what is real and what is fake. However, as the film progressed, these surreal scenes became increasingly wild and disjointed, leaving me feeling disconnected from the narrative. I found myself constantly asking questions about what was happening, how we got there, and why things were unfolding the way they were. This detachment ultimately detracted from my overall enjoyment of the film.

At three hours in length, Beau is Afraid can be a daunting task for audiences to undertake. While a well-paced film can fly by (Avatar: The Way of Water and Babylon for instance), this one felt like a slog at times, and I found myself frequently checking the clock to see how much time was left. However, despite these shortcomings, the technical execution of the film was truly exceptional. Aster's direction was brilliant, with stunning camera work and beautiful cinematography. The acting was also top-notch, with Joaquin Phoenix delivering what was arguably the best performance of the year so far. The supporting cast, including Amy Ryan, Patti LuPone, and Nathan Lane, also gave standout performances.

All in all, Beau is Afraid was quite a letdown for me. While Aster undoubtedly has a brilliant mind and a talent for storytelling, this film may have suffered from a lack of restraint. Nonetheless, the technical prowess and stellar performances are certainly noteworthy and should not be overlooked.

Score: 41% ❌
Verdict: Poor

Right from the start we appreciate that "Beau" is going to have an hard time with life. Luckily we skip forwards forty years and find him living an almost siege existence in a lawless city where sirens and racket keep him awake for most of the night. It's after one such a lively night that he suddenly awakes realising that he must get to the airport to go and visit his wealthy mother. Suffice to say, events conspire and he doesn't quite make the trip... He calls to alert his mother only to get the UPS man on the phone standing over an headless corpse. His mother? Well he now has to make a journey - without a functioning credit card - in time for her funeral. What now ensue are a series of mildly entertaining but largely just too surreal escapades that marry fantasy and fiction on his trip. This is a very strong effort from Joaquin Phoenix as the gentle but almost permanently bamboozled "Beau". He gives himself fully to the part and engenders frustration and sympathy successfully as the story progresses - in fits and starts - towards it's conclusion. Nathan Lane chips in well - if completely over the top - too, as surgeon "Roger" and we save the best til last with a rather bizarre denouement that sees Patti LuPone (his mother, "Mona") in an whole new light. At times the writing can be witty but for me this is just way, way too long and episodic. It's as if Ari Aster had an accumulation of ideas for his character that he has, almost "Forrest Gump" style, stitched together in the hope that what emerges at the end has been enjoyable to watch. I'm not great at the outlandish. It's not that it needs a solid beginning, middle and end but somehow I prefer the plot to be rooted in something just a bit more tangible than this is. I am glad that I saw it in a cinema, but I can safely say I won't watch it again.

FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ https://www.firstshowing.net/2023/review-ari-asters-beau-is-afraid-warrants-the-love-hate-reception/

“Beau Is Afraid is by far Ari Aster's most complex, inaccessible film to date, although guilt, extreme anxiety, and a complicated mother-son relationship are clear themes deeply explored throughout five sections - the second is one of the most mesmerizing, visually stunning sequences of the year. The more I think about what I watched, the more I admire the unique, thought-provoking, overwhelmingly surreal storytelling by one of the most authentic voices working today.

That said, the three-hour runtime feels really heavy, the analysis of the movie as a whole raises some issues, and while all the technical departments are award-worthy, stating "it's not for everyone" is a perfect description of one of the most divisive films you'll see for a while.”

Rating: B-