Beau Is Afraid (2023) - Review
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© COURTESY OF A24
Directed by: Ari Aster
Written by: Ari Aster
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Patti LuPone, Nathan Lane, Amy Ryan, Kylie Rogers, Parker Posey, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Hayley Squires, Michael Gandolfini, Zoe Lister-Jones, Richard Kind
Runtime: 179 min
Synopsis: A paranoid man embarks on an epic odyssey to get home to his mother.
© COURTESY OF A24
Editor's Note: Original review was written for Firstshowing. Full article can be found below.
REVIEW SUMMARY
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.
