Beau is Afraid – Movie Review
Director: Ari Aster
Writer: Ari Aster (Screenplay)
Cast
- Joaquin Phoenix (Joker)
- Patti LuPone (Witness)
- Amy Ryan (Gone Baby Gone)
- Nathan Lane (Lion King)
- Kylie Rogers (Collateral Beauty)
Plot: Following the sudden death of his mother, a mild-mannered but anxiety-ridden man confronts his darkest fears as he embarks on an epic, Kafkaesque odyssey back home.
Runtime: 2 Hours 59 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Beau is Afraid starts as we meet Beau (Phoenix) who lives in a rough neighbourhood. He fears going out of the house as the violent locals break into apartments. However, his day gets worse when he learns his mother Mona (LuPone) has been killed in a freak accident.
All this leads to a freak accident where he is taken in by Grace (Ryan) and Roger (Lane) who nurse him back to health. However, this journey of self-discovery takes Beau on a wild adventure unlike anything he imagined.
Verdict on Beau is Afraid
Beau is Afraid is an oddball comedy horror following a man going on a journey of self-discovery. He has been struggling with his own paranoid existence and this journey helps unlock the mind which has held him back for so long.
This is an extremely odd movie that feels like it has a lot more to say than I could see. It doesn’t seem like very much is going on for the most part, just lots of here is an odd sequence, here is another odd sequence. The three-hour runtime doesn’t help as it only ends up letting through drag along for too long. It ends up not being funny or scary.
Where to Watch
JustWatchFinal Thoughts – Beau is Afraid is a long, slow, dull movie.