Beau Is Afraid
Theatrical release poster
Directed byAri Aster
Written byAri Aster
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyPawel Pogorzelski
Edited byLucian Johnston
Music byBobby Krlic
Production
companies
Distributed byA24
Release dates
Running time
179 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$35 million[2]
Box office$11.5 million[3][4]

Beau Is Afraid is a 2023 American surrealist tragicomedy horror film written, directed, and co-produced by Ari Aster.[5][6] The film stars Joaquin Phoenix as the title character, Beau Wassermann, and also includes a supporting ensemble cast consisting of Patti LuPone, Nathan Lane, Amy Ryan, Kylie Rogers, Parker Posey, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Hayley Squires, Michael Gandolfini, Zoe Lister-Jones, Armen Nahapetian, and Richard Kind. Its plot follows the mild-mannered but paranoia-ridden Beau as he embarks on a surreal odyssey to get home to attend his mother's funeral, realizing his greatest fears along the way.

Distributed by A24, Beau Is Afraid premiered at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema on April 1, 2023, and began a limited theatrical release in the United States on April 14, 2023, before a wide release the following week. The film received generally positive reviews from critics but was a box-office bomb, grossing only $11 million.[7] Phoenix received a Golden Globe nomination for his performance.[8]

Plot

Beau Wasserman is the son of a famous and wealthy businesswoman, Mona, who is responsible for building a large conglomerate empire. He grows up without a father, who his mother says died the night Beau was conceived due to a heart murmur caused by an orgasm; he struggles with a recurring dream in which he watches from the bath as an identical twin demands to know what really happened, to which she locks him in the attic. As a teenager on a cruise trip with his mother, Beau meets and falls in love with a girl named Elaine. The two kiss and promise to remain virgins until they meet again as adults.

As an adult, Beau is extremely anxious and living alone in a crime-ridden city. He prepares for a flight to see his mother for the anniversary of his father's death, but misses his plane after his keys and luggage are stolen from his door. Beau calls his mother to explain the situation, but she dismisses him. After having been locked out by deranged homeless people for the night, he attempts to call his mother again, only to have it answered by a UPS driver who tells him that she was decapitated in an accident, after a chandelier fell on her head. After violent confrontations with an intruder at home, then by a police officer and a murderer on the street, Beau is hit by a food truck.

Beau wakes up wounded two days later in the house of a married couple, Grace and Roger, who live with their angsty teenage daughter Toni, and care for an unstable veteran named Jeeves, who was their late son's battle buddy until he was killed in action. Beau calls Mona's attorney, Dr. Cohen, who chastises him and informs Beau that despite the Jewish custom to lay the body to rest as soon as possible, her last wish was not to be buried until he was present. Roger promises to take Beau to his mother's estate as soon as possible but insists Beau rest until he is healed. On the day of Beau's release, Toni attempts to force him to drink a can of paint, before doing it herself, taking her own life. Grace walks in on Beau standing over Toni's body and violently blames him for her death. As Beau flees into the woods, Grace sends Jeeves after him.

Lost in the wilderness, Beau comes upon a group of traveling theater actors named "The Orphans of the Forest". He is invited to their rehearsal and becomes entranced by the play, imagining himself as the protagonist, who spends his entire life looking for his family after they are separated by a flood. A man approaches Beau and informs him that he knew his father, who he says is still alive. The troupe is ambushed by Jeeves, who slaughters several actors. Beau flees deeper into the woods.

Beau hitchhikes the rest of the way to his mother's estate, only to find that he has just missed her funeral. Beau is awakened from a nap when a woman arrives late for the service, and realizes it is Elaine. They reconnect before having sex. Beau is terrified that he is going to die upon climaxing but is relieved when he survives. Elaine, however, dies mid-orgasm, her body frozen stiff. Mona then appears from the shadows and reveals that she has been alive and spying on him all along his journey. She guilt-trips Beau for supposedly not loving her enough and he demands to know the truth about his father. Mona takes him to the attic, where Beau discovers he has a twin brother locked in the attic and that his father is actually a giant penis-shaped monster. At that moment, Jeeves breaks into the house and is killed by the monster. After further degrading from his mother, an enraged Beau briefly attempts to strangle her before she collapses.

In shock, Beau leaves the estate on a motorboat. After entering a cave, the boat's motor begins to stall, and he suddenly finds himself in a crowded arena; he is put on trial for perceived slights against his mother, with Mona and Dr. Cohen acting as prosecutors and a cheap lawyer defending Beau. With his feet glued to the boat, Beau tries to fend for himself and appeal to his mother, but she does not respond. Realizing he is completely hopeless in his situation, he decides to accept his fate. The motor explodes, capsizing the boat and drowning Beau. The crowd silently leaves the arena with Dr. Cohen and Mona, the latter of whom sobs uncontrollably.

Cast

Alicia Rosario appears as Toni's friend Liz. Patrick Kwok-Choon, Maev Beaty, and Arthur Holden appear as members of the forest theater troupe. David Mamet has a vocal cameo as a rabbi.

Production

Development

The film had been in development by Ari Aster for some time, with a 2011 short film entitled Beau, that would later serve as the basis for a sequence in the feature film, and a 2014 draft of the script that circulated on the internet.[10] Aster has described the film in many ways, including initially as a "nightmare comedy,"[11] "a Jewish Lord of the Rings, but [Beau's] just going to his mom's house," and as "if you pumped a 10-year-old full of Zoloft, and [had] him get your groceries."[12]

Filming

In February 2021, A24 announced the film, then titled Disappointment Blvd.,[lower-alpha 1] with Joaquin Phoenix on board to star in the leading role.[14] The film's ensemble cast was announced in June and July.[15][16]

Co-star Stephen McKinley Henderson described Aster and Phoenix as "so simpatico ... their way of working together was like they were really old friends. They could get upset and make up in the span of seconds, it seemed. But the work was always the better for it."[17] During a Q&A session on April 1, 2023 with actress Emma Stone, Aster recounted an incident in which, during the shooting of a "very intense" scene involving Phoenix's co-star Patti LuPone, Phoenix suddenly collapsed and lost consciousness as a result of the physical intensity of his stunts, which included breaking through glass. Initially annoyed because "it was a really good take", Aster realized it was serious as "[Phoenix] was letting people touch him and people were tending to him and he was allowing it".[18]

Principal photography began on June 28, 2021, and concluded that October.[19][20] The film was shot in Downtown Montreal, and Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, an off-island suburb of Montreal in Quebec, with cinematographer Pawel Pogorzelski and production designer Fiona Crombie.[21][20] Animation for the film was done by Cristobal León & Joaquín Cociña, who were personally chosen by Aster for their work on the 2018 stop-motion film The Wolf House.[22] With a budget of $35 million, Beau Is Afraid is A24's most expensive film at the point, until it was surpassed by Civil War.[2]

Music

The film's score, like with Aster's previous film Midsommar, was composed and produced by British electronic musician Bobby Krlic, who performs under the name The Haxan Cloak. With the score, Krlic stated that "every step of the way [in the film, in relation to the score], you're with Joaquin, you're with Beau", adding that the score is meant to be a representation of Beau's mental state throughout the events of the film.[23]

The score was released on April 14, 2023, a week before the film's wide theatrical release, through A24's music division, and is separated into five parts, corresponding with the five acts of the film in which the songs appear.[24]

Release

Theatrical

Beau Is Afraid officially premiered in Los Angeles on April 10, 2023, at the Directors Guild of America, with Aster and the cast in attendance.[25] The film initially had a sneak premiere with a Q&A moderated by Emma Stone at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Brooklyn, New York as part of an April Fools' Day event with livestream screenings provided at Alamo theaters in select cities, as the audience attending was originally scheduled to watch the director's cut of Aster's Midsommar (2019).[26] Further exclusive Q&A screenings were conducted, with moderators such as Martin Scorsese, Nathan Fielder and Rachel Sennott.[27] The film was released theatrically in the United States by A24 on April 21, 2023,[28] following a delay from its original 2022 schedule.[29]

The film was shown a week early in select IMAX theaters in Los Angeles and New York on April 14, before being released in select North American IMAX theaters on April 21.[30]

Home media

The film was released digitally on June 13. A Blu-ray and DVD release followed on July 11.[31]

Reception

Box office

In its opening weekend the film grossed $320,396 (an average of $80,099) from four theaters, finishing 14th at the box office.[32] Expanding to 965 theaters in its second weekend, the film made $2.7 million, finishing ninth.[33] In its third weekend the film made $1.4 million from 2,125 theaters, finishing 13th.[34] In October 2023, TheWrap reported that the film took a $35 million loss.[35]

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 67% of 263 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.8/10. The website's consensus reads: "Beau Is Afraid is overstuffed to the point of erasing the line between self-flagellation and self-indulgence, but Ari Aster's bravura and Joaquin Phoenix's sheer commitment give this neurotic odyssey undeniable power."[36] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 63 out of 100, based on 51 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[37]

Reviewing for RogerEbert.com, Nick Allen gave the film three and a half out of four stars, calling it "gobsmacking, sometimes exhausting, always beguiling," and wrote that it was Aster's "funniest movie yet." He praised Phoenix's performance as "fascinating," and concluded that "the ambition is the point."[38]

Manohla Dargis of the New York Times wrote that the film was "a supersized, fitfully amusing, self-important tale of fear and loathing," and chastised the run-time by saying, "It's a journey; midway, it becomes a slog."[39]

Accolades

Accolades received by Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Award Date of ceremony Category Nominee(s) Result Ref.
Golden Trailer Awards June 29, 2023 Most Original Trailer "Beyond" (AV Squad) Nominated [40]
Best Drama Poster "Payoff" (AV Print) Nominated
Hollywood Critics Association Midseason Film Awards June 30, 2023 Best Actor Joaquin Phoenix Nominated [41]
Best Supporting Actress Patti LuPone Nominated
Golden Globe Awards January 7, 2024 Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy Joaquin Phoenix Nominated [42]
Satellite Awards February 18, 2024 Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical Pending [43]
ADG Excellence in Production Design Awards February 10, 2024 Excellence in Production Design for a Contemporary Film Fiona Crombie Pending [44]

References

  1. ↑ "One Pager" (PDF). A24. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 14, 2023. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
  2. 1 2 "Ari Aster on His 'Sick in the Head' 'Beau Is Afraid,' and the Time Joaquin Phoenix Fainted on Set". IndieWire. April 2, 2023. Archived from the original on April 2, 2023. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  3. ↑ "Beau is Afraid". The Numbers. Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved May 26, 2023.
  4. ↑ "Beau is Afraid". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on May 5, 2023. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  5. ↑ Papaioannou, Alex (April 18, 2023). "BEAU IS AFRAID: Ari Aster's Character Piece Is A Singular Tragicomedy". Wheres The Remote. Archived from the original on April 25, 2023. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  6. ↑ Hutchinson, Chase (April 20, 2023). "'Beau Is Afraid' Ending Explained: Ari Aster Puts Himself and Joaquin Phoenix on Trial". Collider. Archived from the original on April 22, 2023. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  7. ↑ Barker, Stephen (June 29, 2023). "How Much Beau Is Afraid Cost To Make (& How Much Box Office It Needs)". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on June 28, 2023. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  8. ↑ Hipes, Patrick (December 11, 2023). "Golden Globe Nominations: 'Barbie', 'Oppenheimer' Top Movie List; 'Succession' Leads Way In TV". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 "Beau Is Afraid Production Notes" (PDF). A24. March 30, 2023. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 1, 2023. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
  10. ↑ Raup, Jordan (December 13, 2022). "First Poster for Ari Aster's Beau Is Afraid Starring Joaquin Phoenix". The Film Stage. Archived from the original on January 23, 2023. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
  11. ↑ Linan, Liliana (June 1, 2020). "A.S. Program Board Presents: Ask Ari Aster". Daily Nexus. Archived from the original on January 10, 2023. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  12. ↑ "Beau is Afraid is 'Like a Jewish Lord of the Rings' Director Says in Behind the Scenes Video". March 30, 2023. Archived from the original on March 30, 2023. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
  13. ↑ "To distract from old..." April 17, 2023. Archived from the original on June 13, 2023. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
  14. ↑ Kroll, Justin (February 18, 2021). "A24 To Produce And Finance Ari Aster's Next Pic Disappointment Blvd. Starring Joaquin Phoenix". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 14, 2021. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  15. ↑ Kroll, Justin (June 21, 2021). "Disappointment Blvd.: Ari Aster Sets All-Star Ensemble To Join Joaquin Phoenix In A24 Film; Nathan Lane, Patti LuPone, Amy Ryan And Kylie Rogers Cast". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 21, 2021. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  16. ↑ Kroll, Justin (July 21, 2021). "Parker Posey, Stephen McKinley Henderson & Zoe Lister-Jones Among Those Rounding Out Cast Of A24 And Ari Aster's Disappointment Blvd.". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 21, 2021. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  17. ↑ Davids, Brian (October 22, 2021). "Dune Star Stephen McKinley Henderson on Playing a Human Computer and That Parasol". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 13, 2022. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  18. ↑ Crosbie, Eve. "Joaquin Phoenix annoyed Beau Is Afraid director by fainting on set". Insider. Archived from the original on May 31, 2023. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  19. ↑ Fisher, Jacob (November 20, 2020). "Joaquin Phoenix In Talks To Star In Ari Aster's Beau Is Afraid (Exclusive)". DiscussingFilm. Archived from the original on January 11, 2023. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  20. 1 2 Marc, Christopher (June 20, 2021). "Ari Aster's Disappointment Blvd Starring Joaquin Phoenix Adds The Favourite & Cruella Production Designer Fiona Crombie". The Ronin. Archived from the original on December 1, 2022. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  21. ↑ Bourque, Olivier (July 21, 2021). "Vers une année record pour les tournages étrangers au Québec" [Towards a record year for foreign filming in Quebec]. Le Journal de Montréal (in French). Archived from the original on July 21, 2021. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  22. ↑ Gleiberman, Owen (April 11, 2023). "Renfield Review: Nicolas Cage Is a Stylishly Overwrought Dracula, But This Ultraviolent Vampire Action Movie is Mostly a Flip Grab Bag". Variety. Archived from the original on April 13, 2023. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  23. ↑ "MSN". MSN. Archived from the original on June 6, 2023. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  24. ↑ "'Beau is Afraid' Soundtrack Album Details". Film Music Reporter. Archived from the original on June 6, 2023. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  25. ↑ Spilde, Coleman (April 11, 2023). "Ari Aster Premieres Have Hollywood's Weirdest Guest Lists". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on May 21, 2023. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  26. ↑ "Ari Aster pranks Midsommar audience by showing them his brand new movie, instead". www.avclub.com. April 1, 2023. Archived from the original on April 2, 2023. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  27. ↑ "Martin Scorsese Praises Ari Aster As "One of the Most Extraordinary New Voices in Cinema"". GQ. May 1, 2023. Archived from the original on May 19, 2023. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  28. ↑ Grobar, Matt (January 10, 2023). "'Beau Is Afraid' Trailer, Release Date: Joaquin Phoenix Journeys Through Surreal Mixed-Media Landscape In Ari Aster's Third Feature For A24". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 10, 2023. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  29. ↑ Shanfeld, Ethan; Moreau, Jordan; Murphy, J. Kim; Shafer, Ellise; Khatchatourian, Maane; Earl, William; Saperstein, Pat (January 6, 2022). "The Most-Anticipated Movies Coming in 2022: Disappointment Blvd.". Variety. Archived from the original on January 9, 2022. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
  30. ↑ "Beau is Afraid | Experience It in IMAX® One Week Early | Select Theatres in NY & LA". March 29, 2023. Archived from the original on July 2, 2023. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
  31. ↑ "Beau Is Afraid DVD Release Date". www.dvdsreleasedates.com. Archived from the original on June 5, 2023. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
  32. ↑ "Weekend Domestic Chart for April 14, 2023". The Numbers. Archived from the original on April 17, 2023. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  33. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (April 22, 2023). "'Super Mario Bros' Has Best Third Weekend For Animated Pic With $58M+; 'Evil Dead Rise' Still Alive With $23M+ – Sunday Box Office Update". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 22, 2023. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
  34. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (April 30, 2023). "'Super Mario Bros' Swallowing Up 'Margaret', 'George Foreman' & More – Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 22, 2023. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
  35. ↑ Taylor, Drew; Gonzalez, Umberto (October 11, 2023). "A24 Expands Strategy From Arthouse Gems to More Commercial Films". TheWrap. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
  36. ↑ "Beau Is Afraid". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  37. ↑ "Beau Is Afraid". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  38. ↑ Allen, Nick. "Beau Is Afraid movie review & film summary (2023)". RogerEbert.com. Archived from the original on May 2, 2023. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  39. ↑ Dargis, Manohla (April 12, 2023). "'Beau Is Afraid' Review: A Visit With Mommy Dearest". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on May 4, 2023. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  40. ↑ Tinoco, Armando (June 5, 2023). "Golden Trailer Awards Nominations List: Stranger Things, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Ted Lasso & Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery Among Most Nominated". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 5, 2023. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  41. ↑ Anderson, Erik (June 30, 2023). "Hollywood Critics Association 2023 Midseason HCA Awards: 'Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,' 'Past Lives,' 'Air' are Top Winners". AwardsWatch. Archived from the original on July 1, 2023. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
  42. ↑ Lang, Brent; Shanfeld, Ethan (December 11, 2023). "Golden Globe 2024: Full Nominations List". Variety. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  43. ↑ "IPA Reveals Nominations for the 28th Satellite™ Awards". International Press Academy. December 18, 2023. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
  44. ↑ Tangcay, Jazz (January 9, 2024). "Saltburn, Oppenheimer, Killers of the Flower Moon Lead Art Directors Guild 2024 Nominations". Variety. Retrieved January 9, 2024.

Notes

  1. ↑ Aster later said in a 2023 Reddit AMA that the title was a cover-up, meant to be a distraction from the early draft of script of the film that circulated online.[13]
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