Dark, surreal, and magical, Beau is Afraid is another horror masterpiece from the house of auteur extraordinaire Ari Aster. The unsettling black comedy – more chilling than amusing – is a brilliant work of art, each frame a beautiful entry point into the protagonist’s pained, paranoid existence.
After Midsommar (2019) and Hereditary (2018), Aster returns to tell the story of Beau Wassermann (Joaquin Phoenix), a middle-aged man plagued by intense neuroticism in a lawless city. As an impending visit with his overbearing mother, Mona (Patti LuPone), inches closer, he finds himself increasingly on edge. A stuttering Beau discusses this with his therapist (Stephen McKinley Henderson), who prescribes a strong psychedelic drug, Zypnotycril, to calm his nerves.
As Beau takes his pills and rushes to get back to his seedy apartment in a crime-stricken New York neighbourhood, the viewer comes face-to-face with his fears – a cruel, insensitive crowd urging a man to jump to his death, murderous goons stabbing each other in dark alleyways, and homeless criminals vying to get into his building. Amid this chaos, Beau receives a shocking piece of news that sends him down a cross-country psychological rabbit hole there is no getting out of.
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A cocktail of camerawork, music, acting
It isn’t clear if such distressing scenes are a figment of Beau’s crippling paranoia or rooted in reality. Aster, in his signature style, manages to confound but hold his viewers with a marvellously absurd script that cannot be tied to just one genre. And having Phoenix on board as the lead elevates his horrific tale to new heights.
The Oscar-winning actor embodies every inch of Beau’s hurt and helplessness, his soulful expressions piercing even the hardest hearts. From one trauma to the next, Phoenix takes you on a journey like no other. These transitions are made better by a judicious mix of state-of-the-art cinematography, visual effects, and animation.
Pawel Pogorzelski’s brilliant camerawork ensures you feel every micro-expression, every tick, and every blood-curdling moment in the scenic, vibrant backdrops Aster’s films are known for – such as the stunning Swedish countryside in Midsommar and the mysterious suburban American backdrop of Hereditary.
Jorge Canada Escorihuela’s visual effects add to the powerful imagery Pogorzelski creates. For instance, Beau finds himself within a mystical travelling theatre troupe at one point in the movie and begins to feel as if the play being staged by them is adapted from his own tragic story – a thought that takes him through a labyrinthine animated adventure so stunning that it makes one gasp in amazement. British composer The Haxan Cloak adds just the right touch with his background score, which also includes Mariah Carey’s 1995 chartbuster Always Be My Baby and Nina Simone’s 1972 hit Isn’t It a Pity.
Circling back to the acting, the supporting cast also deserves credit for carrying Beau is Afraid on its able shoulders. LuPone is excellent as the anxious hero’s narcissistic and self-righteous mother, and manages to impress despite minimal screen time in the three-hour film. Her cold and cruel gait and expressions make you understand why her son shakes like a stack of cards in her presence. Meanwhile, Amy Ryan, Nathan Lane, Kylie Rogers, and Denis Ménochet – who play Grace, Roger, Toni and Jeeves, the four members of a sweet but dangerous family that Beau chances upon (and later escapes) during his quest – manage to transfix the viewer with their mere presence.
Despite its great moments, the movie does have its share of drawbacks. The run-time is a bit too long for its own good, and the plot a tad too complex for most. But then again, Beau is Afraid is no mass film — It doesn’t intend to be either.
(Edited by Humra Laeeq)