I remember seeing a headline a few weeks ago in which it was claimed that Ari Aster dropped some LSD before a premiere. I don't know if that's true or not, or whether he takes psychedelics at all, but the man walks around with an imagination that is perpetually, creatively tripping. Like a colorful virus, he infects audiences with "Beau is Afraid" - a mind-bending journey of a film which I wish many people would see, but could only realistically recommend to a short list of open-minded friends.
This behemoth is a lot to digest in one sitting. It's not carried by its characters so much as it is by hypnagogic artillery fire of imaginative sets and set-pieces, most of which have rhyme and reason for existing but some, probably none. The actual plot consists of a paranoid man's surreal, Kafkaesque odyssey to appease his domineering mother. Beau (Joaquin Phoenix) lives in a world where his every decision is governed by assertive women, and every woman leads back to his mother. He's emasculated, directionless, and, as he points out himself, personality-less. The environments around him are nonsense to us. Strangers form theater troupes in the woods, seedy cities are filled with caricatures of real people; anyone's sentence can become a jarring non sequitur at any moment, and no event is guaranteed to be permanent. These depictions are of course exaggerated - but it's hard to separate what is and is not Beau's reality. It's like a strange dream, and the best comparisons I can make are to David Lynch's "Mulholland Drive" or Stanley Kubrick's "Eyes Wide Shut."
But I've only described what this movie is like, and not WHY it is like. Plenty is up for interpretation. At the bottom line, however, is a creative director exploring themes of perceived guilt in awesome, if not totally bonkers ways. Anybody with a narcissistic parent will relate to parts of the film, as well as anyone who is unsure of themselves, or frets over every action (and inaction) they take. I think of Tyrion Lannister's line in "Game of Thrones," defending himself in front of a father who hates him: "I've been on trial my WHOLE LIFE." Beau is literally put on trial for his whole life. There are people who feel this way about an extreme mother. I've got to believe Ari's speaking some personal truths here.
People who saw it before me had mixed reactions - giddy, disturbed, exhausted, confused. I can empathize with all of these. Though Beau held my attention for the entire 3-hour runtime, his performance is draining. And it should be no surprise that the man behind "Midsommar," "Hereditary" and "The Strange Thing about the Johnsons" locks this in with a good deal of shock value. His brand includes bringing out emotion through whatever means necessary, and it will turn some people off. My best advice is to give yourself completely to the experience. Don't try to follow the discombobulated world of Beau too closely, or you'll fall off a cliff every time. Sit back, enjoy yourself, and laugh where you can; there's maybe never been a more twisted humorist at work here.
7.5/10 for reminding me of the time my dad showed me "Mulholland Drive" and I spent a week trying to decipher it.
