Now that Beau Is Afraid has released in cinemas, it’s of utmost importance that interested film-goers neither raise their expectations nor lower them; the correct play with Ari Aster‘s latest explanation-defying epic is to abandon the concept of expectation in the first place. In short, if you think you know what Beau Is Afraid is about, you don’t.
Having once been described by Aster himself as “Jewish Lord of the Rings” – except instead of Mordor he’s just going to his mom’s house – Beau Is Afraid follows the nightmarish voyage of Beau Wassermann (Joaquin Phoenix), a hotbed of medication and anxiety who makes a trek to his mother’s house after her untimely death. It sounds simple enough, but don’t be fooled; letting your guard down is exactly what Aster wants.
Indeed, with critics and now audiences proving that Beau Is Afraid is in fact one of the most divisive and dumbfounding films of the year, Aster can apparently say “mission accomplished.” In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the writer-director opened up about how happy he’s been with the reception to the film, namely with the distinct lack of uniformity in opinions.
“I’ve met people who were excited by the film, who were really happy with it, and thought it was very funny, and then I’ve met people who seemed really confounded by it. And that I’m happy with, I think that’s great. I like that it seems to be something that people have to contend with and wrestle with. It’s really across the board.”
Confusion amongst audiences may not be the most common thing for a filmmaker to want, but perhaps Aster is on to something in chasing such a reaction. After all, drawing a personal conclusion about a film indicates that, no matter how different it is from other interpretations, it left an impact on you, and we doubt Aster has to worry about Beau Is Afraid not making an impact of some sort.
