I was wondering if i was the only one that ranked Ari Aster's movies the same... Hereditary#3, Midsommar#2, BEAU RULES#1. Amazing, amazing film.

my family really enjoyed hereditary and midsommar so i took them to go see this as well, after i had already seen it the first time i had my thoughts and theories about it but something clicked when my grandpa said "i mean you feel bad for the guy because he didnt even really do anything." i had suddenly thought to myself, what if that perspective on it is almost a trap? what if beau isnt actually completely innocent... what if most of this actually IS his fault? and then i started thinking about just how tragic it is that the mom's angry speech at him towards the end is full of truths. that his whole life, he's wandered around as if he's some dutiful boy with no gauge on how to make decisions for himself. and truthfully, allowing people to make decisions for you in life, based on a simple "yes no" or even no response at all (as we see throughout the film), these things can be seen as one's fault. of course beau's own sense of judgement is impaired by his mother's lifelong grip on his sanity, but i think that's where the movie asks us: how far are we willing to blame other people for our lives? the truth is, fantasy/hallucination/whatever, beau kind of IS horrible for his indecisiveness. it seems cruel to say but there's plenty of stories about a character's world in chaos because they cant make up their mind. check out Mind Game from Masaaki Yuasa! also as a PS for the scene where the neighbor thinks beau is playing music, i heard someone point out that beau's apartment building is a "rehabilitation neighborhood" that the company erected for employees/consumers that were tested on or became addicted to the company's pharmaceuticals: all the deranged homeless in the streets (especially the neighbor that thinks he's hearing music) are all the result of the mom's company playing with shitty meds

Easily favorite movie of the year so far. Glad you liked it!

Incidentally, Joaquin Phoenix is in his late 40's, making him a part of GenX (the younger part), and his mother a Boomer. As far as generational trauma goes and older generations looking at younger ones and vice-versa, it's probably fairly relevant that Beau is not a Millennial, although Ari Aster is.

The theme is control, abuse and arrested development.

I think water symbolises something that gives life but also can take it away if there's too much. It's a stand in for 'motherly love', in particular Mona's suffocating love.

Honestly, I saw the mom as more compassionate. She's very understanding when he calls her and says he missed his flight, but Beau thinks she's judging him. From an outsiders perspective she seems like a good person, but from Beau's point of view she's the villain. But like you said, there's no right answer lol

Dare anyone dub this marvelous, Fellini-kinda-sorta-like, surreal chaos-like effort an "art" film? Oh, hell yes they can! I just did and I'll fight anyone who says differently! I've gallantly suffered through Jonathan Glazer's "Under the Skin," starring (of course) Scarlett Johansson, multiple times. I loved every minute of each time! Take that, art film, bastard, unappreciators! Joachim Phoenix is a seriously underrated talent. Not many actors would or could work as convincingly hard as did Phoenix to make Ari Aster's surreal project work as did Phoenix. In fact, no one else could. If you haven't watched "Inherent Vice," you're not necessarily a nekulturny a$$hole, but... an unfortunate cloud of suspicion remains over you nonetheless.

This movie was a TRIP and we'll likely never get another film like this one

these are very thought-provoking theories, love how many themes and ideas this movie alludes to and allows discussion for!

I actually enjoyed this movie.... Nice analysis 👍👍👍