I've honestly come to the point where I'm thinking that this might be my favorite movie ever. Yeah, it's very overstuffed and has a lot of shocking imagery, but I think the whole movie being like a crazy road trip managed to keep my interest the whole way through. There were multiple moments where my jaw literally dropped and I found myself enjoying the movie more and more as I continued to watch. This was also the only movie I have ever watched where I continue to think about it days after I finished it. I think everyone should see this movie and then realize that they either love it or hate it because that seems to be what a lot of the reviews are saying.

You could almost hear Ari Aster sitting next to you in the theater whispering, “can you believe they’re letting me do this shit?”

While there are many movies that have dealt with the subject of mental illness, anxiety, and strained family relationships, I’ve never seen it portrayed in this way, and it’s frankly a breath of fresh air. Maybe this can be attributed to Joaquin Phoenix’s acting skills, but there are some subtle, nuanced moments that make this movie worth watching.

I like the idea of this movie hammering a nail. Beau is the nail. Grief etc. is the hammer. Beau never changes so the movie never truly changes. Just rug pulls that should change Beau’s future actions but it doesn’t. That’s why he doesn’t ever really question how he fast forwarded through the movie. He did everything he saw on screen because he was unwilling to decide for himself. The way I look at it I see Beau and the movie as a snake eating itself

There are a lot of scenes that could “define the whole film”, but the one that sticks out to me as being the most poignant is the paint scene in the second “chapter”. That’s the one moment that, while I definitely laughed at it, was not fun or funny or even ironic, it was just really sad. It tied that segment up perfectly and left a really strong impression on me as the rest of the film never gets that real again. It gets sad, weird, funny, and disturbing later, but that moment with the daughter in the son’s room is maybe the best scene Aster has made so far. It’s very intense.

"Maybe the bluntness and repetition is the point, and maybe its on me for not being able to see it" I believe it all boils down to: it works for some people and it doesn't for others. I don't think its a matter of "Well you just didn't GET it." You were able to pin point what there was TO "get" so i think you are obviously able to see what might be the point. I think its the subjectivity of it. It's just the fact that it didn't work for you just like how other aspects didn't for me as well. I enjoyed the film overall and am just glad that discussions like this can happen from a movie that exists like this.

I’m a huge fan of Hereditary, Midsommar, Strange Thing About the Johnsons, Synecdoche NY, Kafka, and I didn’t enjoy this and thought it needed a lot of reining in.

For me, this movie was the definition of a mixed bag. Its rare that I feel so differently about (roughly) the first half of a film compared to its second half. The first half of this film was one of the funniest experiences I've ever had in a theater, probably like a 9/10. Everything following the forest section got pretty messy and I liked it much less.

I was exhausted by this movie, but I couldn’t look away. I thought the mom was camp, her speech was so ridiculous and terrifying like some Mommie Dearest-type stuff. The way I justify spending money to watch this film to myself is that it shows how insane and unrealistic the world would be if my anxious thoughts were accurate. I have mental illnesses that distort my perception of reality and make me pessimistic to an unrealistic degree. Seeing some of my fears, like being accused for something I obviously didn’t do, play out on screen made it clear to me that questioning these anxieties of mine are really important and I shouldn’t give every thought in my head the same credit. Other than that, it was a massive disappointment and I feel like I was edged for 3 hours. It was fun to watch Joaquin Phoenix run around and scream a lot, though.

his mother is not just the over protective crocodile mother carrying the baby in her mouth, but she's the archetypal devouring mother, possessive, manipulative, demanding, suffocating to the point of devouring her children's individuality and independence. guilt is the main driving tool of manipulation. his father, his sexual organ, his masculinity, his destiny, a part of himself is locked up in the attic, in such a way that failure to confront makes him regress and fall back down the stairs, where he is literally dragged by doctor guilt back to his mothers feet, kissing them desperately and imploring for forgiveness while promising to be a better son. on one hand she is his always loving mother, a god, but on the other she's a b*itch as the girl referred to both their mothers. on one hand she desperately pities him and on another hates. both being caught in such conflicting dichotomic feelings, he finally attempts to kill her, i'd say in himself, in order to grow out of it, out of this devouring relationship, but rather quickly he stops himself, regresses back to the eternal child always sorry and guilt fills him, as he fails to kill her. but the point is she dies anyway, because sooner or later she inevitably will die. and he's still a child, incompetent, irresponsible, indecisive, shallow, a child who's not only failed to give back the love his mom always demanded and expected but this time he's also failed to end her, get rid of her, grow out an individual "I" and assert himself regardless of her guilt insinuating accusations of ungratefulness. with a traumatized creepy face he takes the boat and sails the waters into the darkness of the night. he is reborn through the vaginal cave back into darkness where his psyche through the internal voices of his consciousness chamber, debate in a fierce court like trial. his defender voice is smaller and smaller ending up "thrown out the window", while his accuser voice closely associated with his mother, guilt, gets louder and louder until it snaps and he's flipped upsides down into the abyss, drowning in the dark waters of unconsciousness. beau has failed on his quest to grow out of the mothers womb, the comfort zone of the apartment, the childish pink room, the fairytale like accepting and nourishing community, culminating in sex as final symbol of maturation which under mothers observant presence ends in utter failure and regression to death, to the wave that wipes the community, the unjust accusation and ruthless wolf breathing on his steps, the chaos of the outside world. beau failed to growUP and is reborn in a new circle of hell. “Behold the secret conspiracy between mother and son, and how each helps the other to betray life. Where does the guilt lie? With the mother, or with the son? Probably with both.” “…the spirit of regression, [which] threatens us with bondage to the mother and with dissolution and extinction in the unconscious. …he hopes to be caught, sucked in, enveloped, and devoured. He seeks, as it were, the protecting, nourishing, charmed circle of the mother, the condition of the infant released from every care. No wonder the real world vanishes from sight” - Carl G. Jung.

When this hits streaming and people watch it in the comfort of their own homes as well as people rewatching it after experiencing the bleak ending a lot of people are gonna eat their words on this movie

Personally, I loved this movie. The ending was absolute lunacy, but it was still awesome!

This movie was a bundle of false security "I'm safe in my apartment" - nope "I'm safe with this family" - nope "I'm safe watching this play" nope "I'm safe to have to have sex with my childhood crush"....not a chance.

This movie reminds me of the movie "the Cell" with Jenifer Lopez..with its so over the top metaphors but so on the nose and obvious, that you can imagine the director sitting right next to you, gasping for air and asking you "Oh did you understand that? Do you know what I meant by that" ..." Yes, Ari..pls go away"

I was definitely not disappointed. Loved it.

I actually loved Beau. As someone who expirenced extreme paranoid anxiety the film was a great example of showcasing how that feels and how someone would percieve the world.

I was unfortunately disappointed too. And I reaaaally wanted to like it considering my love for Aster's previous work. But this just wasn't for me as a whole. Parts of it, however, were excellent.

I had mixed feelings, but this is the first movie in a while to get me journaling in the theater. In retrospect, I like it more and more.

"a whole lot of stimulus that amounts to not much of anything" i took that as the whole point of the later reveals and twists being a bit anticlimactic/underwhelming. the whole film, we're teased about something Beau has done that he feels too guilty to confess to. and once we figure out what it is, it's not that big of a deal. that's usually where guilt, anxiety, and paranoia end up.

amazing critique, fantastically written!

This is a good review, I appreciate it, thank you.

Wow your analogy of Beau is Afraid just being like a bunch of fucked up toys Sid made was PERFECT. I couldn't quite put my finger on why I was seeing all this shocking crap in BIA but was somehow bored at the same time. I was SO on board with this movie but it just completely fell apart for me in the last hour. I felt like Aster was literally coming out of the screen bashing me over the head with symbolism relating to mommy and daddy issues. Like we get it dude, my GOD. And I'm someone with my own complicated mother relationship so I should've been the perfect audience for it.

the scene in hereditary where mom is clinging to the wall over Peter's bed made me laugh so much i had to keep replaying the cut. but i couldnt even finish beau is afraid and i tried twice!

I honestly liked this movie. It is intense at points visually, but overall, such an interesting take on codependency and the anxieties it breeds in the future (no pun intended). This movie doesn't hold your hand through Beau's odyssey like adventure of anxieties and fears, but I feel like that is something that needs to be expressed in an age where we are putting such a focus on mental health. The things that play out to me feel like what happens with my anxiety. It gets so hard to see the reality of the situation, and that's where I feel this movie shines. If you have anxiety and paranoia of any kind, I feel like this film will resonate with you.

I was waiting for your thoughts on this omg thank you king

honestly everything you said just made me like it more.

This is the best film ever.

When all is said and done I think you’re gonna learn your take is the wrong one.

This movie gets better as it sits. It’s so good. Ari continues to deliver the best, I love his style and his courage. 10/10 film.

You nailed it bruv

Enjoyed the movie a lot except for a few moments, but this is definitely the most well reasoned negative review I've come across, well done

Something I think you forgot to mention, which is one of the more redeeming qualities about the movie, was the performance of Joaquin Phoenix.

I totally get what you're saying, but to me this movie was hilarious and I think humour clicking is essential to the film working. It's not perfect, but I really enjoyed it.

Well said!

Amazing someone so simple has 100k followers.

excellent vid!

Bo is afraid is a masterpiece. Outstanding fun.

Fantastic review. World class.

Even thought it was a little enjoyable at some points, I was a little disappointed too. The trailer kinda made me believe that Beau would somehow end up in a very weird world where everything looks like a play (guess that’s my fault). But I honestly think it dragged on for a little too long and would’ve been a little more enjoyable if it was somewhat shorter. But it did a really good job on making me feel anxious and laugh as I watched.

I think it’s a modern masterpiece. Like or dislike it, I think this movie will be discussed and analyzed for years.

This movie reminds me of his weird short films he had before Hereditary. It fits him but I think people expected the same energy as his most popular films

I really loved it.

The idea of this movie is very simple, how parents can become childrens worst enemy (and, I know he revisited the same theme before, I watched his short films so, I know). I got overbearing parents and the weight is excruciating, Beau does depict the anxity and, the guilt very well, you cannot do anything about it, you cannot blame them parents, its almost feels like gaslighting and, psychological torture. Beau is afraid does not have grander scheme, it is not shocking or provoking like his last two movies and, I am getting the sense that you wanted more but, you got the same and I understand it but, it is what it is, I can relate to Beau and, I think with time people who are conflicted will come around. I also, think that the movie needed to be three hour to feel Beau's overbearing feeling, if it was two hour movie then it would have like all too much pain but, ended to soon. And, it is a kind of movie, it is not a puzzle, you just have to watch it rather then looking at details and asking what that is! what does that mean! Anyway, I loved the movie Man.

I can GUARANTEE the sentiment toward this movie will change in the next few years.

I can't give this movie a rating, all i know is that its incredible and very unique

In spite of so many original visual and conceptual elements (or perhaps because there were so many) it never really shocked like Hereditary or Midsommar. It would have been amazing if the end had really tied everything together, but instead it was more like a kitchen sink montage of individually strong elements. Kudos to Aster for the lofty ambitions and bold effort at originality, though. I’d recommend Skinamarink, The Night House, or A24’s Men, as films that pull off being both very focused and very original at the same time.

nailed it

I'm still processing the movie nearly a week later but I appreciate your thoughts. You're spot on in some ways but I really enjoyed the ride it takes you on, even if it's thematically one note.

Just saw it last night, some of the films it reminded me of; 'O Lucky Man' 'The Magic Christian' 'Brewster McCloud' 'Brazil' 'The World According to Garp' 'Bad Boy Bubby' ... I enjoyed the ride for what it was but there was also an uncanny sense of creative regurgitation of the kind you find in AI generated art!

*Mom is always watching.*

I watched this at the exact same theater! ...across two different nights. Because the fire alarm went off lol

I liked but I don't know why did I liked it to this day I'm trying to figure it out😅 Awesome review as always brother.

Is anyone else fascinated with the fact that Aster is incredible at directing his leading women, but meh with directing the men? He’s 3 for 3 with that

I really wanted to like this movie and I was so excited to see it and when I left the theater I was truly just so disappointed. I really enjoy his previous works and this one isn’t just for me I guess

i think this review is spot on, but i still loved the movie and i couldn't tell you why...

You put into words what I was feeling. I loved the anxiety nightmare but it was way to repetitive for me too

Beau is Afraid is a Monolith of filmmaking. I believe this movie will be deeply misunderstood for a long time

I thought this movie was a needlessly dragged out Tom and Jerry skit. Thanks for another cool review. Great channel.

just like any ari aster movie, it grows on you. hope you'll like it soon.

Aster’s best movie by far

I feel like it's inevitable that these auteur directors get a couple big hits and then become parodies of themselves

great video. with you all the way.

I think it's interesting how so much that you're critical of in Beau is Afraid are things I'm critical of in every other Ari Astar movie. I've been a certified Ari Astar hater, much to the chagrin of my douchy white film bro constituents, and I have seen most of his work. Yet I was absolutely floored by this movie. I think even if people don't like it, at least it's starting a conversation. I'll probably still hate on Ari Astar a bit but this movie is probably going to age into its own and its audience

I agree.

Ari aster said publicly he never wanted this movie to be called Disappointment blvd fun fact.

I laughed at this movie at so many points because the anxiety in the beginning was so overly done it was like what is your worst fears happing at max overlord. I don't think Joaquin was trying to be funny but the way he would sigh or just respond it was like Joaquin had no backbone and was a small child at heart afraid of evryone around him. I feel like the beginning of the film many people could relate to like watching the news and having a overt panic fear about stuff. The girl towards the end again made me laugh because I was not expecting to see that. And then when he gets locked in the attic that Part made me laugh to idk it was a wild ride. The play in the movie was colorful and rich and I enjoyed that but yes people are probley going to either hate It or just find it downright confusing which look it was confusing at frist but then I realize it was mainly about his reltionship with his mother and how that affected him. I enjoyed it felt quite a long movie but I hope I dident give anything away watch it for ur self bye

No wonder he changed the name .. no one could get away with a title like that

Could not disagree more. In a way I believe you overthought this movie, warped it into a thinkpiece-video-essay format; some of these broad Aster critiques came across as disappointment not in the film itself but in the trajectory of Aster’s filmography. Beau is completely experiential-a lot like Silver Lake, but unlike that movie, the “bait and switch” you’re referencing only happens if you’re already disconnected, waiting outside of the story to dissect and criticize. Many times you call it “cerebral,” puzzle-like, which I understand-Hereditary and Midsommar are exactly like this, and work well with those “but did you examine THIS frame” type people-but this is something different, much more broad, and much, much less cerebral. Part of me thinks A24’s pre-release strategy and film comparisons hurt Beau; in reality, it’s not much at all like Kaufman or his contemporaries, at least not in practice. It reminded me most of Todd Solondz and Roy Andersson. Like Solondz, Aster is playing w the horror of being uncomfortable, examining the moments where we squirm away to take shelter within ourselves. Give it another watch, and just let yourself have fun and FEEL things without so much worry about what it all means, or how it all connects later. Great, persuasive video as always, but this is one of the realest, funniest comedies I’ve seen in years

Anyone conflating Beau with dadaist cinema or relies on the visceral doesn't have much ground to stand on. Ari created Hereditary to feed the fools.

my opinion is the opposite day version of your review. Hereditary and Midsomer opinions included.

I love this movie. It's creepy and confusing and ssooo funny. I'm glad it was a comedy because it would've been a terribly dry and sad movie

It sounds like you glued yourself too much to the first act, and didn’t allow yourself to just go with the rest of the movie keeping an open mind

Any good WhoDunIts come out recently, I watched Missing (Searching sequel) and no where near as good as first. It I love a good twisting whodunit mystery

Joe from You?

Hey Taylor! Love your videos. Not sure if it would be something you're interested in - but I'd love to hear what you think of Sofia Coppola's filmmaking! Hope you have a nice day!

It exceeded my expectation actually and in fact it’s the best movie to come out so far this year. I guess people who don’t get it don’t understand the core of the movie. At the core of this movie is the relationship between Beau and his mother. It’s the kind of relationship that a mother put her son in her own properties, paid actors to play the crazy neighbours and experimented on her son daily with the drugs she made through a psychiatrist she paid. So when you said everything is on another reality, it’s kinda right and wrong. Beau’s mind is kinda messed up from all the drugs she forced him to take. And the fake reality his mother created for him to live? No wonder he doesn’t know what is real or not. I also love the ending. This is the right ending for Beau, whose plea for help was totally being ignored with silent, nobody seems to care, everyone sees him as an object and worse still - judging. Him, alone on the sinking boat, knowing that at anytime he would die, helpless, then when it did, we the audience stare in shock, wondering why. The exact same question we should ask in today society. There are people who need and ask for help, but instead we judge them, then just watch them drowning and died.

I personnaly founded this movie to be so boring, like me and my friends literally thought of changing rooms bc we were so bored. Anyway I was so disappointed...

Ari Aster peaked with "The Strange Thing About The Johnsons", change my mind 😂

"Maybe the bluntness and repetition is the point, and maybe its on me for not being able to see it" bluntness and repetition was Ari ester shtick this entire time why people only notice it now?

really well articulated points! I feel like Ari Aster needs to get into David Lynch to pull off dream logic, he feels too cerebral to let the absurdity fly. very appreciative A24 let him do his thing, hopefully his next one is more up my alley!

I have really bad OCD so this movie was actually perfect lol I’ve had agoraphobia and claustrophobia at different stages and I suppose that denotes a general unease regardless of environment or circumstance that I felt with beau so much and it was such a beautiful performance. I also love my mum like a best friend but she will admit she is a bit like the mother in the sense of wanting to keep me so safe I have become terrified of basically everything but like the movie shows the mother like my mother was made to be afraid but that manifested as hyper controlling ocd Truman show manufacturing of his whole life and idk if she was just a ceo of everything or that was how beau felt in the level of omnipresence she had but idk man it’s one of the best films ever to be made just visually alone sorry to be corny and I get why people might not like it like I do but it’s just so fascinating and I hope ari Astor is okay lol

i loved hereditary and i liked midsommar but i don’t know what he was trying to do with this. i read the first draft and i was hoping he’d improve the issues that script had and he didn’tz

felt like you waffled on for the first 12 minutes without saying much. interesting how it's quite a polarizing, you either love it or hate it. the film connected to a very deep part of me and was able to conjure this horrible dread in my gut the entire time. no other movie has made me feel so shaken afterwards, except maybe Enter the Void or Come and See. sure it is single-minded in that the movie revolves entirely around Beau's mother, but there is plenty of richness and depth in which this is explored and revealed. water, and so on. the film is shocking at times, but it doesn't feel like it's visual vomit purely for the sake of shocking the audience.

Ari Aster cooked and I ate.

i wanted so badly laugh along some ppl who were in the theatre but their energy was so forced. i did find a few moments with me laughing but i left the film frustrated. i couldn’t like it. i’m just not the audience for it

woah dude, you are not fuckin around

You lost me at “I had to speak my truth” By far the most cringe phrase of modern society. I get the feeling you really loved the last Jedi

I really enjoyed this move. Why did ppl dislike it? im curious.

Boulevard?

Oh man... I hate to say this because I really loved some parts of the film, but overall it did feel disappointing, like Aster bit more than he could chew. All I know is that at a point during the first third I was thinking "Best movie of the year?!"... and then I wasn't.

Eh

beau is ari aster's magnum opus (so far), and is definitely not a disappointment.

I felt like Southland Tales was a waste of 2 hours of my life 🙄 and Beau is Afraid was as well. An hour of it was interesting. Should definitely like more than 1/3 of a movie, right?

I did like the film, same as bardo, same as synecdoche new york.

Ari Aster keeps me motivated to watch movies. there are so much bad horror. this is story of a mans. it's new, its personal, it breaks apart toxic relationship between mom and grown son, extreme one, mother is the huge narcissist, and the ptsd of it will haunt Beau's for the rest of his lives

Unfortunately, I love this movie. Ari Aster made another amazing film.

I'm so sad I didn't like it

I predicted this just from the unengaging title

You are totally THAT guy.

I just like a concise narrative. The beginning was fun, but then is so repetitive and unnecessary I couldn't finish it. Like, I can laugh and be afraid in the first five crazy situations, but that's enough. It reminded me of Mother, and I hate that film.