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James Mottram

5/5 stars
American writer-director Ari Aster made a significant impact with his chilling 2018 debut Hereditary and his folk-horror follow-up Midsommar (2019).
His new film, Beau Is Afraid, is a huge advance on both – it is a three-hour, anxiety-riddled tale of matriarchal neuroses that is frequently surreal, puzzling, indulgent and jaw-dropping.
Joaquin Phoenix delivers another masterclass as Beau, a fragile, single New Yorker who lives alone.


In therapy when we first join him, talk turns to his domineering mother, Mona (Patti LuPone), who he is planning to visit the very next day.
“Do you ever wish she was dead?” inquires his therapist.
He looks horrified, but by the end of this nightmare odyssey of the mind, it might be considered a fair question.
What immediately follows almost defies description, as a series of events – involving noisy neighbours, stolen keys, a deadly spider, a home invasion, a naked madman and more – conspire against him.
It is both blackly funny and horrifyingly intense, a truly impressive collaboration between Aster, his editor Lucian Johnston and production designer Fiona Crombie, among others.

And yet that is just the opening gambit of Beau Is Afraid, as Phoenix’s character discovers something shocking about his mother and seeks to get home whatever the cost.
It is a journey that soon sees him encounter Nathan Lane and Amy Ryan’s Good Samaritans, their rebellious teen Toni (Kylie Rogers) and their late son’s PTSD-affected military buddy (Denis Ménochet, going full Terminator).
“Feeling sad about going home, Beau?” asks Lane’s surgeon. “Must feel totally unreal.”

Frequent flashbacks to Beau’s childhood – especially a cruise holiday where he developed a crush on a girl named Elaine – thicken the mix.
At times, the film feels like a mash-up of Jim Carrey vehicle The Truman Show, Charlie Kaufman’s meta-drama Synecdoche, New York and even David Fincher’s The Game, particularly in the sequence that sees Beau encounter a travelling theatre company in the woods – whose play appears to resemble his own life.
It is arguably the most indulgent segment of the film, despite some remarkable animated visuals.

The final act begins with a great appearance from Parker Posey, who spearheads probably one of the best sex scenes in movie history.
That Aster has even got a film this wilfully perverse made is miraculous. Violent, hallucinogenic, twisted – there are not enough adjectives to even scratch the surface of this hugely ambitious psychological drama.
It is the sort of work that film students will be picking apart for years to come, a once-in-a-generation kind of movie.
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Beau Is Afraid movie review: Joaquin Phoenix delivers acting masterclass in Ari Aster’s once-in-a-generation psychological drama

Joaquin Phoenix in a still from Beau Is Afraid. Photo: Takashi Seida

Joaquin Phoenix in a still from Beau Is Afraid, directed by Ari Aster. Parker Posey co-stars.

Armen Nahapetian (centre, left above) and Zoe Lister-Jones in a still from Beau Is Afraid.

Parker Posey in a still from Beau Is Afraid. Photo: Takashi Seida

(From left) Nathan Lane, Joaquin Phoenix and Amy Ryan in a still from Beau Is Afraid. Photo: Takashi Seida

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Princess Peach (voiced by Anya Taylor-Joy) and Mario (Chris Pratt) in a still from The Super Mario Bros. Movie.

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Mario (left, voiced by Chris Pratt) and Luigi (Charlie Day) in a still from The Super Mario Bros. Movie.

Bowser (left, voiced by Jack Black) and Luigi in a still from The Super Mario Bros. Movie.

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(From left) Matthew Maher, Matt Damon and Jason Bateman in a still from Air. Photo: Handout

Matt Damon (left) and Viola Davis in a still from Air. Photo: Prime

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Violent, hallucinogenic, twisted and with one of the best movie sex scenes ever, Beau Is Afraid is a work film students will be picking apart for years to come
Joaquin Phoenix is riveting as a fragile, single New Yorker who must confront his darkest fears in Midsommar director Ari Aster’s hugely ambitious film


Joaquin Phoenix stars in Midsommar director Ari Aster’s Beau Is Afraid, a hugely ambitious psychological drama that film students will be analysing for years to come.


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An assessment or critique of a service, product or creative endeavour.  Film reviews, restaurant reviews, reviews of art exhibitions. (Eg. Crazy Rich Asians: an important film, yes, but a good one?)


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