Beau's Law of Existence
One key thing that you will realise early on in watching Beau is Afraid is that the film operates under Beau's Law of Existence. This states that if Beau exists, the worst thing must happen. If you think something good will happen, you will be wrong. If you think something bad will happen, odds are likely that something worse will happen. It's a similar condition suffered by the main character of Martin Scoresese's After Hours.
For example, if Beau comes home from therapy there must be a deadly venomous spider in his apartment waiting for him. If his apartment is unlocked, a zombie-like mass of people will invade his flat and wreck everything inside. And if he eventually leaves his flat then of course it will be inevitable that he will eventually be stabbed by a naked circumcised serial killer.
Based on Beau's Law of Existence, it appears inevitable that something as straightforward as visiting his mother would quickly devolve into a nightmarish journey with the entire world conspiring to hurt him in any way imaginable. During this journey he is forced to confront dark family secrets, his fears of intimacy and all of the deep-rooted feelings of self-regret that have dominated his entire life.
But how did Beau's life possibly get this way? Well, his first mistake appears to be being born. Through a very rare medical condition, the act of his conception led to the death of his father which his mother has never forgiven him for. Much of his life is therefore dedicated to being one long grovelling apology for something that he had no control over. At the same time it has also led to his mother being overly protective of him and nurturing an instinctual fear of everything.
From there Beau's life has appeared to be one continuous downward spiral. No matter what horrible fears he has in life, the universe will somehow still always find a way to throw something even worse at him justifying every possible fear. Often he will have no way of avoiding these tragedies. Though in the rare occasions when he does have an opportunity to make his own decision, Beau is so fearfully indecisive that he will simply let the universe choose whichever horrible option for him.
Does Beau deserve to experience everything that happens to him? God no, nobody deserves the kind of pain he does! But that's what makes the film so entertaining to watch. Just like Midsommar, Ari Aster's is constatnly treading the delicate balance between tragedy and absurdity that constantly leaves you uncertain on whether you should be laughing hysterically or just genuinely disturbed.
For example, if Beau comes home from therapy there must be a deadly venomous spider in his apartment waiting for him. If his apartment is unlocked, a zombie-like mass of people will invade his flat and wreck everything inside. And if he eventually leaves his flat then of course it will be inevitable that he will eventually be stabbed by a naked circumcised serial killer.
Based on Beau's Law of Existence, it appears inevitable that something as straightforward as visiting his mother would quickly devolve into a nightmarish journey with the entire world conspiring to hurt him in any way imaginable. During this journey he is forced to confront dark family secrets, his fears of intimacy and all of the deep-rooted feelings of self-regret that have dominated his entire life.
But how did Beau's life possibly get this way? Well, his first mistake appears to be being born. Through a very rare medical condition, the act of his conception led to the death of his father which his mother has never forgiven him for. Much of his life is therefore dedicated to being one long grovelling apology for something that he had no control over. At the same time it has also led to his mother being overly protective of him and nurturing an instinctual fear of everything.
From there Beau's life has appeared to be one continuous downward spiral. No matter what horrible fears he has in life, the universe will somehow still always find a way to throw something even worse at him justifying every possible fear. Often he will have no way of avoiding these tragedies. Though in the rare occasions when he does have an opportunity to make his own decision, Beau is so fearfully indecisive that he will simply let the universe choose whichever horrible option for him.
Does Beau deserve to experience everything that happens to him? God no, nobody deserves the kind of pain he does! But that's what makes the film so entertaining to watch. Just like Midsommar, Ari Aster's is constatnly treading the delicate balance between tragedy and absurdity that constantly leaves you uncertain on whether you should be laughing hysterically or just genuinely disturbed.
- rcolgan
- Dec 21, 2023