★★★★☆
Beau Is Afraid, Ari Aster’s mind-boggling magnum opus about mummy issues and anxiety is either a masterpiece or a steaming pile of shit. I’m cautiously leaning towards the former, but it feels completely wrong to even attempt to dissect a film like this, never mind giving it a star rating. We’ll give it a go anyway.
The film follows Beau (Joaquin Phoenix), a highly anxious man who lives in a small apartment in a crime-filled city. He is due to visit his mother soon, but after a series of unfortunate events, Beau is sent on a strange journey across the country.
The trailers have teased Beau’s bizarre adventure, but the less you know about Beau Is Afraid, the better. What you do need to know though, is that Aster’s film begins with a POV shot of Beau making his way into the world from his mother’s vagina. Childbirth is an inherently traumatic event; you’re evicted from your cosy home and into the bright, violent world, but if you shudder at the thought of full-frontal nudity or sex on screen, you might want to give this a miss.
Credit: Sony Pictures Releasing
Things only get more uncomfortable there. Beau has grown up to be a perpetually terrified individual; everything causes him anxiety and worry. The first act of Beau Is Afraid is an intense affair, and those suffering from anxiety might find it hits a little too close to home. Aster’s film plays out like a 3-hour anxiety attack; it’s an overwhelming but thoroughly cinematic sensory experience.
Beau Is Afraid might also be called Catastrophizing: The Movie. Aster is able to visually communicate just how paralysing anxiety is and while Beau Is Afraid isn’t as straightforward a horror film as Aster’s previous work, it’s certainly horrifying in many ways. We’re completely and utterly immersed in Beau’s world and his mindset; if one bad thing happens, more will follow.
The film slightly loses focus in the middle section as Beau meets a travelling theatre troupe which forces him to reflect on the path he is on, but once Patti LuPone enters the picture in the third act, the film gets back on track. Beau Is Afraid is a challenging film, one that demands patience, but if you’re able to tune into the film’s wavelength, the payoff is rather glorious.
Beau Is Afraid might be the longest, most arduous and ridiculous dick joke known to man. Hats off to Aster for getting such an extravagant budget and Joaquin Phoenix for starring in it. Phoenix is a very watchable lead, but Beau is, at times, a frustratingly passive character. Things tend to happen to him and around him, and he simply floats from place to place, character to character.
Every scene in Beau Is Afraid feels chaotic and unpredictable, making for exciting viewing. There is a lot more humour in it than you’d expect. Aster has crafted a completely ridiculous and absurd film, and he’s fully in on the joke, even if the audience struggles with his particular brand and flavour of humour. If Hereditary and Midsommar were designed to traumatise you, Beau Is Afraid aims to at least make you chuckle while it uncomfortably burrows itself under your skin.
At the end of the day, Beau Is Afraid won’t be for everyone. It’s an exhausting journey into Ari Aster’s own personal anxieties via a fictional character. The film reeks of mummy issues and there are a lot of testicles for something that isn’t a Jackass film, but Aster proves once again that he is an impeccable visual storyteller.
Beau Is Afraid is in cinemas on 19 May.
