Beau ha paura

If you think of this movie as a nightmare it makes more sense. When you dream, your brain processes deep emotions and fears. Things like guilt, shame, childhood fears (spiders, strangers, water, the woods, etc.) and a lot of times the narrative is confusing and all over the place. This basically sums of the movie.

It's hard to review or summarize, but essentially it's a journey into Beau's subconscious. Fear of sex, mommy issues, shut down emotions, and unresolved trauma.

I sometimes gauge a movie based on how many times I think about it after I've seen it. For this one, I've been thinking about it all day. There are some really creative, artistic scenes and shots also that keep the viewer interested. Overall it's disjointed and way too long, and definitely not for everyone. 6/10.

The movie lost money because it was too long, the first half of the movie was great , the second half lost me. The scene in the forest and all the imaginary cartoon effects should have been eliminated greatly reducing the cost of the movie, The ending was silly, keeping it realistic would have enhanced the movie compared to what transpired. I would rather have Beau go up to the attic and have the movie end leaving me to guess what was up there, anything would have been better than the nonsense the director came up with.

The first half shows what the social decay in America is beginning to look like, that portrayal makes a real horror show..

A fascinating movie with an exceptional ending, can't tell how much I enjoyed the movie and the ending reminded me of another masterpiece the stranger by Albert Camus... Only this time the mother herself is the judge.

The thing that makes this movie precious is that we don't see young directors delivering these kinds of movies specially at this quality. Anyway I'm not a professional when it comes to movies and I'm not sure what to call the genre of Bea is afraid but for sure it's my favorite. The only bothering point is the length of the movie which makes it hard to be watched several times and at the same time it requires you to do so.

Beau is Afraid is going to be hit or miss for a lot of people. It's the type of movie that many will praise and criticize for the exact same reasons. Some will find Ari Aster's visceral, nonstop, in-your-face shock and awe absolutely brilliant. Some will find it grotesque, some hilarious, and some will probably just find it plain monotonous. Regardless of where you land personally, I think fans and haters alike will admit it's easy to understand all of those opinions (and more) on the fever-dream, bad-trip, crisis-coaster that is Beau is Afraid.

There are some ideas in this movie that absolutely hit home. The central character, Beau's, downright Fredian psyche is thought provoking and forceful, if not overstated. The movie looks wonderful throughout and showcases phenomenal cinematography. There is also a fantastic black comedy element that I wasn't expecting - both the wry smile kind and laugh out loud type. Beau is Afraid is packed with amusing subtleties that make me want to rewatch the movie just to see what details I missed. On the surface level, this movie considerably richer than Aster's previous two; it feels as though there is so much more to explore here.

What falls short for me isn't any one glaring detail, it's the sum of all the film's parts. It's a rambling, full speed ahead journey it that lasts an excruciatingly long three hours (two hours and fifty-nine minutes, to be exact). This ride doesn't feel like a edge of your seat thriller, it feels like a highlight reel of nightmares loosely strung together. Frustrating, inarticulate, and logic resistant. At points it feels like Aster is openly testing the audience's limits and patience, fully leaning into the fact that many won't hang on until the end.

Kafka-esque is spot on. Beau is Afraid is largely without a plot; the viewer is forced to most of the legwork if they want to reconcile any sort of direction. This could have worked in a smaller dose, but after the two hour mark you start to wonder why there is still so much movie left. Aster's audience engagement leans heavily on visuals and surprises, and somewhere along the three hour journey you start to wonder if that's quite enough.

You don't know what's coming in Beau is Afraid, but as the formula reveals itself you do know that entire movie is about to be turned on its head. Again. And again. And again. Watching the story bounce from one introspective non-sequitur to the next is a rather unrewarding experience. Even though a resounding lack of closure is surely supposed to be a deliberate point of the film, I had to question if I was enjoying it.

There's a very good movie in buried somewhere in Beau is Afraid, but it's layered under a heavy, heavy dose of self indulgence. It doesn't need to be so long, or so frenzied, or so indirect. Aster's core message simply isn't as profound as he makes it out to be. But it's a new side of Ari that we've never seen before and, for many, that alone will make it worthwhile experience. And the movie isn't without a good deal of genuinely redeeming qualities that fans of the genre (if you can narrow it down to just one) will surely enjoy. It's a thought provoking, visually stimulating trip that you should really just experience for yourself. Though perhaps on-demand with the fast forward button within reach, just in case.

I remember seeing a headline a few weeks ago in which it was claimed that Ari Aster dropped some LSD before a premiere. I don't know if that's true or not, or whether he takes psychedelics at all, but the man walks around with an imagination that is perpetually, creatively tripping. Like a colorful virus, he infects audiences with "Beau is Afraid" - a mind-bending journey of a film which I wish many people would see, but could only realistically recommend to a short list of open-minded friends.

This behemoth is a lot to digest in one sitting. It's not carried by its characters so much as it is by hypnagogic artillery fire of imaginative sets and set-pieces, most of which have rhyme and reason for existing but some, probably none. The actual plot consists of a paranoid man's surreal, Kafkaesque odyssey to appease his domineering mother. Beau (Joaquin Phoenix) lives in a world where his every decision is governed by assertive women, and every woman leads back to his mother. He's emasculated, directionless, and, as he points out himself, personality-less. The environments around him are nonsense to us. Strangers form theater troupes in the woods, seedy cities are filled with caricatures of real people; anyone's sentence can become a jarring non sequitur at any moment, and no event is guaranteed to be permanent. These depictions are of course exaggerated - but it's hard to separate what is and is not Beau's reality. It's like a strange dream, and the best comparisons I can make are to David Lynch's "Mulholland Drive" or Stanley Kubrick's "Eyes Wide Shut."

But I've only described what this movie is like, and not WHY it is like. Plenty is up for interpretation. At the bottom line, however, is a creative director exploring themes of perceived guilt in awesome, if not totally bonkers ways. Anybody with a narcissistic parent will relate to parts of the film, as well as anyone who is unsure of themselves, or frets over every action (and inaction) they take. I think of Tyrion Lannister's line in "Game of Thrones," defending himself in front of a father who hates him: "I've been on trial my WHOLE LIFE." Beau is literally put on trial for his whole life. There are people who feel this way about an extreme mother. I've got to believe Ari's speaking some personal truths here.

People who saw it before me had mixed reactions - giddy, disturbed, exhausted, confused. I can empathize with all of these. Though Beau held my attention for the entire 3-hour runtime, his performance is draining. And it should be no surprise that the man behind "Midsommar," "Hereditary" and "The Strange Thing about the Johnsons" locks this in with a good deal of shock value. His brand includes bringing out emotion through whatever means necessary, and it will turn some people off. My best advice is to give yourself completely to the experience. Don't try to follow the discombobulated world of Beau too closely, or you'll fall off a cliff every time. Sit back, enjoy yourself, and laugh where you can; there's maybe never been a more twisted humorist at work here.

7.5/10 for reminding me of the time my dad showed me "Mulholland Drive" and I spent a week trying to decipher it.