Jacked In Reviews ‘Beau Is Afraid’ (2023)

Ari Aster’s (Hereditary & Midsommar) no two movies have been the same and although Beau Is Afraid has Aster written all over it, this is the furthest removed from anything he’s done yet.

Based on Aster’s short film of the same name, we follow the story of Beau (Joaquin Phoenix), a man with quite a complicated (understatement doesn’t even cut it) relationship with his mother. Surrounded by a supporting cast that unease even the audience, Phoenix nails the anxiety-induced Beau. So much so that you’ll suffer from second-hand worry throughout.

This movie almost has the same effects as ketamine. So, make sure you set some time aside afterwards to schedule in the comedown, while your melted mind recovers.

Never before will you have been presented with a character whose choices always result in a negative consequence in the (gorgeously) abysmal world that surrounds them. Aside from having darkly comedic overtones throughout, you’ll be forced to experience some things you weren’t ready for, leaving you in a state of unsettled confusion. This movie almost has the same effects as ketamine. So, make sure you set some time aside afterwards to schedule in the comedown, while your melted mind recovers.

At its core, this is a story of getting from A to B and the affinity with one’s parent but similar to that of a David Lynch feature, this will very much be left to the viewer to decide what kind of journey they think they have witnessed in this surreal odyssey.

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