By Mark Fields
Writer-director-eccentric millennial auteur Ari Aster has only made three feature length films. The first two – Hereditary and Midsommar – both have cult followings. They are popular for their unconventional narratives and graphic depictions of horror amplified by the characters’ emotional turmoil. Beau is Afraid, his latest film, defies any easy description or even characterization, but it too features a similar disjointed, overly caffeinated vibe. Aster has said that his movies are intended to be experienced viscerally rather than logically; and that’s good, because Beau is Afraid is exceedingly strange, bordering on the inscrutable. Joaquin Phoenix – himself no stranger to gonzo film stories – plays Beau, a stunted man-child suffering from a crippling personal paralysis. He is afraid of the world, though perhaps with good reason, because the world Beau inhabits in this film seems intent on torturing him emotionally and even physically. Phoenix, as well as the supporting cast that includes Nathan Lane, Amy Ryan, and Patti Lupone, deserve kudos for committing to the strangeness. Although there are moments of interest in Aster’s story, I found myself more perplexed than anything else. Days after, that feeling still lingers. Beau is Afraid feels to me like the cinematic equivalent of kombucha; true fans rave about it while others find its appeal a mystery.
