Beau Is Afraid

A24 | Release Date: April 14, 2023

6.7	USER SCORE Generally favorable reviews based on 80 Ratings

USER RATING DISTRIBUTION

Positive:

Mixed:

Negative:

Review this movie

VOTE NOW

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Please sign in or create an account before writing a review.

Check box if your review contains spoilers

0 characters (5000 max)

User Reviews

User score By date Most helpful

SoulWarfareJun 30, 2023

I love weird, unique and even crazy types of movies, which Beau is Afraid most certainly is. The movie is technically well-made with its visuals and cinematography. Joaquin Phoenix also gives an amusing performance of someone with insaneI love weird, unique and even crazy types of movies, which Beau is Afraid most certainly is. The movie is technically well-made with its visuals and cinematography. Joaquin Phoenix also gives an amusing performance of someone with insane anxiety, Unfortunately, the story is overstuffed and nonsensical. The first hour starts with a lot of intrigue but it becomes almost painfully dull after that. Weird things happen with no rhyme and reason, the multitude of stories and character threads don't connect, and the self-indulgent nature of this whole film. A big issue is the excessive and exhausting 3-hour runtime with its slow pacing. Doesn't help that there are so many scenes of just nothing happening, such as characters walking or sleeping. I give praise for doing a big swing on something original but this time it was a huge miss.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

All this user's reviews

JLuis_001Apr 22, 2023

As soon as it was over, a professional review I'd read popped into my head. That review said that Beau Is Afraid is the result of a director who was given too much freedom, and after weighing it for a while I admit that I fully agree withAs soon as it was over, a professional review I'd read popped into my head. That review said that Beau Is Afraid is the result of a director who was given too much freedom, and after weighing it for a while I admit that I fully agree with that opinion.

You can defend it in many ways, visionary is what I hear most, but on this occasion, Ari Aster went too far with the pretension.

And there will be enormous concealment to mask its issues with the excuse that there are too many elements buried in its plot. That you yourself as a viewer will need more than one viewing to examine, reflect and evaluate its content, and yet Aster, as he did with Midsommar in his two versions, in my opinion apparently believes that coherence is overrated.

I won't do an autopsy of this film, after all there will be multiple interpretations, and this is mine, and the process itself, even beyond the social critique it implies, Beau Is Afraid seems more like the demons its director couldn't get out in therapy and better decided to express them on film.

I can't deny his ambition and the scope of that ambition, but that's not enough to articulate to best effect that this film is the epic journey he undoubtedly believes he has created.

From its excessive running time - I can't fathom how he had a four-hour cut ready - to its devastating self-indulgence and exhaustive psychological onslaught, Beau Is Afraid is a tortuous, psychedelic and metaphorical journey that showcases much of its director's creative talent, and is supported by a more than solid performance by Joaquin Phoenix, but never seems to find the right route between its black humor, its surreal horror vibe and the psychoanalysis of its Oedipus complex.

It's wanting to reach for so much that its director forgot that a narrative structure is needed and not just letting the passages flow, believing that this amounts to the sum of a better argumentative experience.

Ari Aster delivered the kind of film for which the casual moviegoers hate auteur cinema and offered a perfect odyssey to those who advocate too much for such "smart" arthouse filmmaking.

I won't be the one to say that Beau Is Afraid is a bad film, because it's not, but in terms of results above expectations, the gap between the two ends of the spectrum is huge.… Expand

4 of 7 users found this helpful43

All this user's reviews

TomMondayApr 15, 2023

It’s one of the worst movies that you’ll ever see which is also compelling and captivating and well-performed and beautifully crafted but shrill and annoying and you never want to see it again but do go see it if you can.

4 of 8 users found this helpful44

All this user's reviews

SideOrderoLemonApr 24, 2023

Beau is Afraid is certainly a wild ride, but compared to Ari Aster's other works, kinda limps a little bit. However, to compare his other films to this is a disservice to the reason this film is out now, as this started as a passion projectBeau is Afraid is certainly a wild ride, but compared to Ari Aster's other works, kinda limps a little bit. However, to compare his other films to this is a disservice to the reason this film is out now, as this started as a passion project gone almost entirely off the rails. To pick at the themes of the film is unnecessary, as the movie sorta tells you up front what it's about; Guilt. Beau's anxiety eats at his mind every second of every day, and his past with his mother does not help one bit. One thing for certain is that this is definitely Ari Aster's most surreal film, playing into Beau's mental health problems as well as Aster's adolescent sense of humor, which also makes it his funniest movie so far. What is so polarizing about this movie I feel is that surreal non-linear formatting of scenes, which while I feel fits well with Beau and how he may view people and the world, feel a little out of place and forced, even for this type of film. The worst part I feel, however, is the final 20 or 30 minutes. The ending feels extremely rushed and not warranted in any way and just seems to go all out on the surreal just for the sake of having a memorable conclusion, even if I do agree it ties everything up alright. If you're in the mood to have your brain split in two, then this is a must watch, but if you're looking for a film by one of the greatest thriller/horror directors of our time, well, you're better off with Midsommar or Hereditary.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

All this user's reviews

MattyIce34Apr 25, 2023

I liked Hereditary and loved Midsommar, but this was just an aimless mess. I was interested enough in the first act, but once Aster gets let off the leash there’s no turning back.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

All this user's reviews