‘Beau Is Afraid’ Movie Review: Ari Aster Sends Joaquin Phoenix on a Surrealist Odyssey Filled With Anxiety

Hereditary and Midsommar filmmaker Ari Aster makes a depraved return to a world of surrealist nightmares in the epic journey of the mind in Beau Is Afraid. In his most divisive movie yet, he takes audiences on an unforgettable adventure that dares to tackle humanity’s greatest insecurities in a feared film bursting with anxiety. Beau Is Afraid is an affirming, yet challenging watch.

‘Beau Is Afraid’ sets out on an epic journey

Beau (Joaquin Phoenix) tries to live out his humble life in a seedy part of town, attending therapy sessions to help him work through his greatest fears. They all come to a head when he has plans to make a trip back home on his father’s death anniversary to visit his mother, with whom he has a particularly difficult relationship.

The mild-mannered man hears news that his mother suddenly died, setting him into utter free fall. Beau must find a way to return back home, but every step back to his childhood insecurities catapults him deeper into his most petrifying horrors of the past, present, and future.

Mommy issues in a dystopia 

Beau Is Afraid draws a complete timeline explored through a non-linear screenplay written by Aster. It begins with his birth, putting the viewer into his bewildered perspective. However, it doesn’t become much more assured in his adult years, as Aster concocts a world run by fear, as even Beau’s own home isn’t safe from what is and the terrors of what could be. Divided into unofficial chapters, he encounters others along his way that only contribute to his deep-rooted concerns surrounding his own distrust of others.

Aster hasn’t abandoned the theme of mommy issues from Hereditary, diving into a different narrative from Beau’s unreliable perspective. This protagonist never met his father, but he has a somewhat idealized view of him, while his mother represents all that is wrong with his life. All of his greatest character flaws route back to his troubled relationship with her, proving to be more terrifying than the haunting of any ghost.

Beau’s perspective on the world is a dystopian hellscape where there are no inhibitions. Humanity lost its filter, frequently indulging in its desires to kill, have sex, party, among other forms of pleasure. However, they address Beau’s humiliations and self-doubt, which are revealed through these terrorizing moments that expose the cruelty of humanity. 

‘Beau Is Afraid’ is a frenzied quest of agitation

Aster makes Beau Is Afraid such a unique experience through his collaborative atmosphere-building. Supervising sound editor Paul Hsu compliments Aster’s world of absurdity with equally uncanny fervor. He recreates the experience of being born that suitably prepares the viewer for what’s to come.

Meanwhile, Fiona Crombie’s masterclass in production design fires on all cylinders. Aster’s story takes Beau across many environments, each with its own personality and set of dangers. There’s a marvelous sequence that blends animation with live action to utter perfection, pushing the sets even further.

Phoenix is known for committing his whole body and mind to his performances, and Beau is no exception. While Her remains his strongest work to date, he delivers a fully-realized performance here that deserves praise. Nathan Lane, Amy Ryan, and Patti LuPone make impactful appearances, once again demonstrating the breadth of skill that Aster is able to draw from his remarkably talented collaborators.

Aster strikes a balance between psychological drama, dark comedy, and relatable horror that rings genuine through many of his creative swings. He finds his footing when he combines grounded reality with Beau’s dreamlike panic. However, Beau Is Afraid loses itself by going entirely off the rails, but not in a way that’s quite as clever as it thinks it is.

Aster spends much of the film’s three-hour runtime indulging in his playful nature through zany worldbuilding and character construction, leading to some undeniable pacing problems. He has much to say about traumas of childhood, how they manifest in the present, and consequently, how they shape the future. Beau Is Afraid is an epic odyssey through the peculiar and the macabre that delights itself in its own never-ending tank of anxiety.

Beau Is Afraid comes to theaters in New York and Los Angeles on April 14. It plays everywhere starting on April 21.