'Beau is Afraid' (2023) Movie Review:

The 2023 Canadian film Beau is Afraid, directed and written by Ari Aster and starring Joaquin Phoenix, is a trip to an incomprehensible nightmare that you won’t be able to escape.

Ari Aster has done it before with “Hereditary” and “Midsommar,” and now he has created another film that can only be made by him. This is a journey into madness from the very beginning, and it’s a film that you’ll either love or hate.

Joaquin Phoenix, one of those actors who loves to carry the weight of the film and whose abilities allow him to do so, stars in “Beau is Afraid. While we eagerly await “Joker 2” and its highly anticipated co-star (none other than Lady Gaga), Phoenix offers another one of those performances that only he could do justice to. Ari Aster is an excellent director, and with Phoenix’s signature already on the dotted line, he can count on the best. To this day, Phoenix is the best actor after his Oscar win.

“Beau is Afraid” is a dark comedy or horror movie that will make you laugh out loud and feel guilty for doing so. Comedy and horror have been mixed a thousand times, but this is one of the first times that the script and every shot have true quality, and the final product has a unique and singular balance.

The film is almost surreal, and it almost crosses the line in an attempt to reach sanity in the madness of its protagonist and his nightmarish environment. It’s a film that overflows with talent, from direction to acting to excellent photography by Pawel Pogorzelski, who also contributed to the excellent cinematography of “Hereditary” and “Midsommer” with the same success and originality.

Our opinion

“Beau is Afraid” is not to be missed. It’s one of those films that is worth watching from the very beginning. It’s a spectacle that blends the metaphysical, the comedic, and the insane.

Release Date

April 21, 2023

Director

Ari Aster (born July 15, 1986) is an American writer-director, best known for the acclaimed horror films “Hereditary” (2018) and “Midsommar” (2019). He has also written and directed several short films, including “The Strange Thing About the Johnsons” (2011), “Beau” (2011), “Munchausen” (2013), and “Basically” (2014).