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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.

I truly don't know where to start with this one. I've become a fan of director Ari Aster. Hereditary and Midsommar are both great movies in my opinion, even though they're not for everyone. He has shown that his style is very much out there and he just does whatever he wants. I admire that in a filmmaker, so I was eagerly awaiting his next outing, Beau is Afraid. Well, it's now playing in theatres and I think it's Aster's best and worst work to date. There's no denying this film is brilliantly well-made, but the actual presentation (story wise) downright baffled me, in good and bad ways. Here's why I really enjoyed watching it, even though it will never be a film I recommend.

Joaquin Phoenix plays Beau, a man with an insane amount of anxiety. On the anniversary of his father's death, he has a plane ticket back home to visit his mother. Things prevent him from making his flight, which in turn leads to him slowly finding his way home anyways. That's the premise in a nutshell, but many other storylines are present as well. From confronting his demons through stage plays, crazy visuals, flashbacks, and some very creative practical effect work, Beau is Afraid is definitely one of the most unique films I've seen in a while. I loved watching this film, but didn't love it as a film overall.

The best way I can explain how much I actually liked it is to say that I think it's a 5-star film on a filmmaking level, but about a 2-star film when it comes down to how effective the story is. I was eating up everything this film was giving me. My jaw was on the floor from how they pulled off certain sequences. I just wish the story became more clear by the end. I was very engaged, but even when the film felt like it was delivering answers, they also felt far too vague. The film plays as if it's giving you all the answers, but I was well aware it wasn't. I never felt frustrated while watching it, because I was loving the journey, but afterwards, I really had to think about whether or not the experience was enough for me. It was, but I have to admit it's not a great movie as a whole.

Beau is Afriad isn't afraid to go all out in every scene. The studio that made this film (A24) also funded it as one of their most expensive films to date. The budget is used to its fullest potential here and the effort leaps off the screen. It's weird, visually stunning, and Phoenix's lead performance is stellar. Other than those aspects though, I was underwhelmed by the story. Still, if you're a film buff who likes to watch all movies, I recommend it, but to any casual viewer, I would say stay far, far away, it's probably not for you. It's a fantastic film to look at and follow along with, but it's simply not great otherwise in my opinion.

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.

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.

What do I even say? I don't know. This movie broke my brain. I'm seriously stuck. It's been two hours and my mind is still racing.

Like the headline, much of what I say may sound negative, but I mean it in the best possible way. This movie is indescribably weird, outlandish, absurd and insane. So many times I thought to myself, "What am I watching?"

This is dark comedy at it's finest. It's so messed up. And I was cracking up. Like everything else in this movie, it takes it to the extreme.

The directing, cinematography and music work together to fully hypnotize me. It's so creative and imaginative with so many things I've never seen or could possibly imagine.

Beau Is Afraid feels like four movies combined into one. That seems like a terrible idea. But each one is amazing. And they all work together. I don't understand how he did it. Ari Aster is clearly way smarter than me.

There are long scenes of dialogue but I was fully glued. And there is usually other stuff going on during those scenes, like something funny in the background or interesting details in the set design. It made me even more engaged as I tried to catch everything.

In an age where so many movies fail to stand out in any way, Beau Is Afraid stands out in every way. It's not for the faint of heart. I think some people will hate it. But if you've seen Hereditary or Midsommar, you know what you're in for. It's very different from them. But just like those movies, it'll remind you how much a great movie can affect you.

(3 viewings, early screening IMAX 4/18/2023, IMAX 4/26/2023, 4/28/2025)

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..

I loved what I have watched from Ari Aster...until this one movie. It is not that I dislike it. In fact, I think it has some brilliant moments that stole a laugh from me. The acting is superb. The cinematography is beautiful to my taste and suits well with the story. But...yesss, but it is way too histrionic at times and too long as a whole. As a plain viewer and nothing else, some scenes are way too long (like the very last one), where the point is made within the first minute or two and there is no need to keep it 20 minutes long. And that gets me out of the story. It might be the pace, the editing or even that I am not getting something I should.

I don't like or dislike the movie. I do know that if it was about one hour shorter, I would have been more compelled. And that is what I believe this art of cinema was invented for.

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.

After being so mesmerised by hereditary and midsommar I was really looking forward to seeing this. The acting was really good. Joaquin Phoenix never disappoints with his acting Patti LuPone was phenomenal in her scenes. Even Amy, Ryan and Nathan lane had some great moments, but the first hour of the movie, I was really confused the second hour of the movie, I thought okay maybe they will start to explain a little of what is going on the third hour when it all came together I was even more confused. I left the cinema in total confusion. I really want to like this movie. I neither hate it nor love it.

Ari Aster still didn't manage to convince me completely. With Midsommar (that I rated a seven) and Hereditary (that I rated a six) he had already some weird ideas for stories so I was curious with what he would come up this time. It started already weird after a couple minutes, enough to set the tone, and it got weirder towards the end. Every time I thought it couldn't get weirder he managed to do so. I have nothing against weird as long as it is entertaining, and it was, mostly due to the good acting from Joaquin Phoenix, but three hours just seemed a bit too long for this story. For that alone the movie loses a point in my ratings.

Beau is Afraid demands us to see it again. It basically screams to be rewatched, paused, rewound, dissected, and examined. The brilliance of writer and director Ari Aster is that these repeat viewings will never ever help you get this movie. It's never going to click and magically make sense - going back to the well will only deepen your appreciation for the craft of the film.

Beau is a marvel of modern cinema not just for its striking visuals, alarming contemporary setting, and technical merit but for the fact that by all means it shouldn't even exist. No superheroes, not a sequel, not pushing a trending agenda or remade from a novel. How can anyone profit from such a film?!

I sound bitter or jaded. I'm not, I just want to express how deeply satisfying it is to see something so original and unique and beautiful and upsetting. Movies like this make me want to get off my ass and get on my ass. I mean to write. Like writing a movie.

Joaquin Phoenix is Beau, who may be one of the least reliable narrators I've seen in a film for a long time. The movie follows him on what should be a simple trip to visit his mother, but from what I can gather, nothing is ever simple with Beau. Beau's journey takes us through at least six vastly different settings but they feel like alien dimensions that effectively skew reality but also mash genre, medium, and technique. I think I'd like to leave the synopsis at that, the premise is set up in the opening scene and what unfolds becomes an odyssey unlike anything I've ever seen. To attempt an explanation or listing every character and actor seems like it would be a disservice.

It's gross, it's vulgar, it's profound, it's gorgeous - there is no shortage of adjectives to use here. Most importantly, it is worth your time. Beau is Afraid is a story that can only exist as a film and that's a true mark of greatness.

This movie is very special and unique, and is definitely not for everyone. It is about a man, Beau, who gets a call that his mother has died. He will now embark on a long journey home where he will face his worst fears.

The movie focuses on Beau's guilt, shame, anxiety, childhood fears etc. It feels like one long nightmare, a 3 hour long nightmare. Beau suffers from very strong anxiety. We get to see this anxiety and fear manifest throughout the movie in different contexts and environments in weird ways. It is a very sad movie.

Joaquin Phoenix is very good in his role as Beau. Excellent acting as usual. This is Ari Aster's third movie, and it's also the one I like the least. I liked Hereditary and Midsommar much more. My biggest issue with this movie is that it is too long. I started watching it with my girlfriend and she got way too bored after 1 hour and 50 minutes, so we stopped. A few days later I finished watching the last hour by myself, and after it was done I liked the movie a bit more. Maybe it was because I took a break from it.

Overall it's not a bad movie. It's just very special, and many will probably not like it that much. I still think it's worth a watch.

This whole movie is an exercise in anxiety. It's pretty much "Anxiety the Movie." Not horrific, just claustrophobic to the point of suffocation. There is a lot to unpack and multiple viewings will help with this one. Guilt is another big theme, guilt thrust upon a child from their parent. Nearly every scenario Beau is in involves animosity toward him. He is never safe from danger on some level. He can't leave or enter his apartment walking: he has to sprint away from people -- everyone really -- looking to hurt him or harass him on some level. He has been taught to be afraid from everyone and himself.

But even if you don't get it, and I don't think I got even 30% of what Ari Aster is going for, the movie is hilarious, if you have a twisted sense of humor. I almost peed my pants laughing at the first of many scenes involving a bathtub (you'll know what I mean when you see it). It's hilarious and that's really why I loved it so much.

This one was fun and long winded, but ultimately difficult to digest.

Is this the Truman Show of Horror? Perhaps "The Trauma Show" is a better title. Either way, Aster & co. Deliver a wildly vivid and beautiful but too chaotic for its own good film. Every set, scene and effect are incredibly made. Cinematography and sets 8/10.

The story loses a lot of its steam into the third act and dives further into itself. An implosion of wild plot and confusing events leaves you thinking, but ultimately frustrated with your own conclusions. Story/plot an unfortunate 5/10.

Aster's usual unsettling/uncanny characters are well throughout. Joaquin is a great "struggling man" and manages to put you right inside his head. Performances and audio solid 8/10.

In short, this movie kinda feels like your waiting for your mom to comeback to the grocery line while the cashier stares at you the whole time, surrounded by cheap tabloids with covers also staring at you.

Couple things:

1. I don't like being negative about movies.

2. I love when filmmakers and creators take big risks and make original, creative movies that we haven't seen anything like before. Watching directors take huge swings, even when they miss, is infinitely more compelling than safe mediocrity.

That being said... I thought Beau is Afraid was terrible. I might even say... unwatchable.

And that really disappoints me. I love seeing big risks pay off and love to champion those films, and I really hate having to say I didn't like a movie. I'd usually give a wildly original film like this the benefit of the doubt for taking a big swing even if it doesn't fully pan out... but to me, Ari Aster missed the mark in every possible way with this film. The film felt like it was someone telling you all the unnecessary details of a nightmare they had as you slowly lose interest. The story had no rhyme or reason, and stuff just kept happening that never made sense to me. I really admire the originality and the skill behind the camera - it is still a technically well-made movie, and Joaquin Phoenix really commits to the role. The movie does do a good job of immersing you in the psyche of its protagonist. But overall, it just did not work.

This is a perfect example of when art-house cinema becomes too much - the movie is inaccessible. If I as a cinephile struggles to get through the third hour of the movie, I can't imagine what it must be like for a member of the general moviegoing public. Like, the first 45 minutes were promising, but everything after was almost unbearable. Nothing worked for me, and I even questioned whether I could sit through the rest of it. The movie is far too long and is a slog to get through. It is also so obnoxiously self-indulgent. I do need time to digest it and think about it, but overall my gut feeling is that this movie really did not work for me. To me, it was terrible, which is such a surprise since I thought Aster's previous films, Hereditary and Midsommar, were quite excellent (albeit disturbing).

I see why this film is so divisive, and I am very upset to say that I ended up on the negative side on this one. It's 100% an original and unique movie - I've never seen anything quite like it...

...but maybe that was a good thing.

It takes a bit to let this movie truly sink in. It is one of the craziest fever-dream odyssey style movies I've ever seen. Ari Aster absolutely broke out of the style of Hereditary and midsommar. This was its own monster. It had parts that were extremely anxiety provoking, or were hilarious, boring or extremely intriguing. It was almost painful to watch, but afterwards i can't stop thinking about it (in a good way). I am very impressed.

I think most people will be turned off/ not get the movie, but for some it will totally click. It's peak absurdism, and probably the most fascinating depiction of anxiety I've seen in film.

One of the only flaws I have with this movie is the sheer run time. It is extremely long, and will test your patience in parts. There are parts that could've been cut out, sure, but nothing that truly took away from the film.

Would I recommend watching it to most? No. But you should still see it regardless. It will more than likely impress you.

This is the 3rd movie I've seen by Ari Aster. The first two were "Midsommar" and "Hereditary". Chaos and horror seem to live in this director's head in such a way that I sort of feel sorry for him.

As for "Beau is Afraid" -- it is nearly 3 hours of anxiety and suffering by the main character that can be rather upsetting and then becomes somewhat annoying as it goes on and on and you begin to wonder if there is any resolution at all for Beau's predicament.

It is a good job by all the actors and the cinematography was excellent. The tone of the film is what may make you feel uncomfortable most of the time. I did enjoy it but it is too long and confusing at times.

If you lived in Beau's world you'd have nightmares all the time, as the characters and encounters round the bend they would entwine, there's confusion and blind panic, just about everyone is manic, and if they're not, they may have tendencies, that would leave you disinclined; as we journey through a life, or are we really on a trip, all heading to a funeral, or are we heading to some ship, where an emperor of metaphor, is exposed, disrobed and stripped, and you may feel, after three hours, you've been part of some grand trick.

Bored to tears for the most part, although the performances are great, as you'd expect, but the relevance to me was close to zero and as such, it drowned in its own effluent.

This is Ari Aster's worst film. That's not to say it's bad, but it's his worst.

The beginning of the movie starts off with this incredible burst of energy.

Beau is this lonely guy talking his problems with a therapist and living in this dumpy apartment in some unnamed large city.

But it's also a commentary on societal downfall and policymakers stupidity.

It is absolute chaos in the streets. Broad daylight mayhem.

It's like Idiocracy with extreme violence.

And to be honest, it's entertaining as all get out.

The first brilliant half hour to hour of this three hour monstrosity's runtime is when it's running at its full-tilt best.

The apartment. The mayhem. The message on where society is heading and but fast.

All of this is well received.

Is this the Best Movie of 2023?

Am I witnessing the Greatest Movie of the 2020's?

In the first hour or so, you'll be out of your seat and thinking of spots to get this tattooed on your body.

Then we enter the second hour or chapter as it may be.

This is where Nathan Lane and Amy Ryan are introduced, and I love them.

Absolutely love them. By themselves in other projects, and here together even.

Love.

But this is where the film slows considerably and gets weird, and not in your typical Aster good weird, but here just plain sad, depressing, nonsensical weird.

And once Lane and Ryan have played their parts to the fullest in the middle of the film, audience members may start wishing there was a good editor making the hard choices in the house at A24.

In the third and final hour, Parker Posey emerges, in what is no less her most stunningly amazing performance of this century.

She is as gorgeous and incredible as she ever has been, though her scenes are short in this literal journey of a tale.

Patti LuPone truly takes over from where Posey leaves off and devours the remaining scenery in what is definitely her finest performance ever on celluloid.

But the story by now has devolved and is way too prolonged having lost its promise from the first hour so seemingly long ago.

The ending in the most kindest of terms is a monumental disappointment.

All the great filmmakers in history make a bad film sooner or later.

Let's hope this will be Ari's one and only.

Beau Is Afraid. But his movie is too often boring, overly long and unnecessarily grotesque.

"Beau is Afraid" starts brilliantly, proceeds intriguingly, and finally gets so weird it becomes annoying and overstays its welcome.

They say you only know how much is enough when you know how much is more than enough. I remember with Aster's previous movie "Midsommar", I actually considered turning it off early on, because it seemed massively overlong and moved very slowly. It seemed it might become boring. I persevered, though, and realised Aster knew exactly what he was doing with the length and slow pace, lulling us into a false sense of security, making us empathise with the characters and feel the complex emotions they'd be feeling.

A director hadn't held the audience in the palm of his hand since Kubrick.

With "Beau is Afraid", it feels like Aster loosens his grasp on us toward the end. The movie just gets so unaccountably bizarre that I lost interest a little bit. You know it's not going to answer its questions, and then it asks so many, you lose track of them and stop paying attention.

The end still has flashes of brilliance, mostly Kubrickian and Lynchian touches, like startling still shots, and a meeting with a strange man who knows more about the protagonist than he should, a la the indelible, nightmarish scene with Robert Blake in "Lost Highway".

Joaquin Phoenix also gives a great turn, similar to his triumph in "Joker". His work here is Oscar-worthy, but we know it won't get any attention from the Academy, because the movie's just too weird, as with Aubrey Plaza's brilliant work in the similarly inscrutable "Black Bear".

Aster looked on track to become one of the all time great directors. His first movie was very good, and his second was great. Kubrick, Scorsese and Spielberg all took longer than that to make their first great movie. "Beau is Afraid" is a small misstep. I'm hoping that now Aster knows where the limits lie, he'll continue to go up to them, but won't need to go over them again.

I definitely have to let this one sit with me for a little, so my rating may slightly move around this week.

I'll just be honest. There are no words to describe the immensity of Ari Aster's scope in Beau Is Afraid. The only way I can describe at the moment is this: It's as if Aster had a dream, woke up, somehow remembered it all, and again somehow, made it into a movie.

This was a lot for a Tuesday, but the 45 minute drive and $25 seating was totally worth it. Even with almost having a panic attack trying to find parking. Worth it.

Also, there's one scene (that's really more of an act) that when it ended, I had to pick my jaw up off the popcorn tattered floor. Not only because of what it meant for the film, but what it will mean for cinema and its future. Without giving spoilers, I'll say that it perfectly blends realities of animation, stop motion, and much more, into a truly extraordinary moment.