X
- 2023
- R
- A24
- 2 h 59 m
- 2023
- R
- A24
- 2 h 59 m
- 2023
- R
- A24
- 2 h 59 m
- 2023
- R
- A24
- 2 h 59 m
Beau Is Afraid
63
6.5
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 51 Critic Reviews
63
55% Positive
28 Reviews
28 Reviews
35% Mixed
18 Reviews
18 Reviews
10% Negative
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 51 Critic Reviews
63
55% Positive
28 Reviews
28 Reviews
35% Mixed
18 Reviews
18 Reviews
10% Negative
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
Beau Is Afraid is all clatter and stress and movement, but the director is in control throughout, engineering both comic set pieces and existential show trials with equal invention.
It’s the kind of movie worth recommending for its ambition alone, merely to witness the audacious result of anxious self-loathing writ large across the silver screen, without an ounce of restraint. That it’s also a remarkably well-crafted horror-comedy is a cherry on top.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 120 User Ratings
6.5
59% Positive
71 Ratings
71 Ratings
23% Mixed
28 Ratings
28 Ratings
18% Negative
21 Ratings
21 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 120 User Ratings
6.5
59% Positive
71 Ratings
71 Ratings
23% Mixed
28 Ratings
28 Ratings
18% Negative
21 Ratings
21 Ratings
Beau is Afraid is not a primary emotion. It's not a primary anything. Trying to sum up this film's content in a binary, black or white, way or description is virtually impossible. So much of this film, it's humor, it's dramatic moments, it's more emotional moments, simply can't be classified as "basic". This is a very funny movie, this is a very dark and depressing movie, it is a very thought provoking movie. And it is also very strange. To some, it could be infuriatingly strange. But I think to others, this movie could bring up a lot of alloyed emotions about very sensitive subjects such as trauma, grief, guilt and mental illness.
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It’s Phoenix who keeps you glued even through the film’s sometimes challenging longueurs, in a performance as fully, insanely committed as any he’s ever given. If the character invites more cringing pity than emotional investment, that’s more to do with the distancing effect of Aster’s surreal approach than anything lacking in Phoenix’s raw, gaping wound of a characterization.
Whatever LuPone is doing, it’s undeniable. Here, long into a meandering and fitfully rewarding film, is something worthy of fear—or maybe it’s awe.
It’s not an entirely unpleasant journey, but the film does have a jarring, unfinished feel to it, and while the detail-oriented might find it novel to unpack its myriad cinematic homages, and Aster’s ambitious execution is worthy of celebration, ultimately it’s an uneven ride, particularly given the incredible talent involved.
To set up the movie’s cagey diminution of the protagonist, Aster diminishes the protagonist’s world, too—he suppresses Beau’s identity in the interest of stoking synthetic effects and inflating a hollow and shallow spectacle.
Beau Is Afraid relies on subverting expectations so frequently that its twists become predictable, if not rote.
Me gusto mucho, tiene todo el formato de sus peliculas anterioes, nos lleva por un lugar donde no sabemos que va a pasar, de un terror psicologico sin igual. De sus mejores peliculas
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It was a goodly shot and interesting movie that was sadly. Just so long that I begin to wonder when it was going to end.
I kind of need one thing in the movie to be grounded to reality but sadly there was not really much too ground me so I ended up just asking what is going on most of the time.
I think this movie has a strong story if they just cut it down to two hours and tidied some things up. I think it could have been an amazing movie but now I just think it's fine to okay.
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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 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.
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Not my cup of tea. It goes nowhere at a snails pace. The movie is way too long. There are some very long sequences that served no purpose. Acting was fine. Story wise it just isn't there. Not a fan of throwing in outlandish concepts / visuals for the sake of it.
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[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]
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Production Company
A24,
Access Entertainment,
IPR.VC,
MTL Grandé Studios,
Square Peg
Release Date Apr 14, 2023
Duration 2 h 59 m
Rating R
Tagline From his darkest fears comes the greatest adventure
Awards
Golden Globes, USA
• 1 Nomination
Golden Scythe Horror Awards
• 12 Nominations
Indiana Film Journalists Association, US
• 6 Nominations
