My significant other and I have been fans of yours for years. I couldn't even tell you the amount of movies we've rewatched or ones we've watched that we wouldn't have if we hadn't heard your critiques. We both agreed that this is our favourite critique you've done. Please never stop what you're doing...we love you!
Lovely comment. Plenty of films I’ve loved that she’s disliked & equally things I’ve disliked that she’s loved and every time have always appreciated the insights. Always am so excited to hear the thoughts, especially for stuff I haven’t seen yet (like this)
Your facility with the spoken word is damned impressive. The biggest pleasure of listening to your reviews is simply the way you describe what you've seen in a way that's so immediately relatable and convincing. The movie sounds interesting too. Hope the hail didn't do too much damage - Yay Texas weather!
Maybe it’s because I haven’t seen enough films, but Beau is Afraid felt wholly unique to me in a way that could never be fully replicated by any other filmmaker. The message worked for me, it didn’t feel repetitive because each of the 4 “chapters” felt distinct while covering different segments of the same thesis. I’ve seen it 3 times, it gets funnier and slightly less shocking on every rewatch. But I think it will hold up over time as this weird odyssey that explores a relatable subject in an artistic and deeply sardonic way.
There is a lot of pointed symbolism in the film. For instance, the naked guy with the knife (Baby Stabby Man) is a Mohel. Also, Beau's family name is Wassermann- German for 'Water Man'- and there is a LOT of water in this film. The boat journey at the end is a trip back to the womb, bringing the life story full-circle; Aster surely restrained himself from adding a shark to this scene. The film is the most pronouncedly Jewish flick since the Coens' 'A Serious Man,' so much so that I was wondering when Richard Kind would show up and, sure enough, there he is as the Prosecutor (in a lift from Albert Brooks's 'Defending Your Life'). A great film that is hard to recommend to a broad audience.
I completely agree with your critique of Beau. While the film as a whole does not work, there are several brilliantly constructed scenes and vignettes throughout, and many would have worked well as short films. Also, I'm wondering if perhaps the film could have used more time in the editing room. It's possible that there is a really well constructed and organized film in there, and it could have come out after some serious editing.
What I love about it is the film never breaks away from Beau's perspective. Is this real? Is it all in his head? We're never really told. I will stand by my assessment that this is Ari Aster's Babylon, his daring auteur epic that may split audiences but cements itself as truly unique cinematic experience.
We are basically told in the end when we see a giant picture of her made up with smaller pictures of her employees. I wish I could have paused it but I saw enough familiar faces to realize his whole reality is being concocted by his mother. This is Ari Aster's Truman Show.
I couldn't disagree with you more. This was a fantastic film solidified by Phonenix's performance. I have a sibling with mental illness and I totally empathize with the themes in the film. I heard people laughing and I didn't get it but this is what good films can do. I also saw people leave and I understand films can also have that impact. This film is an experience and sometimes I don't always need explanations, backstories or even a rationale behind the film. If that was the case I would've hated "Titane."
but for Titane we do get a backstory and there was a rationale. I loved beau's Afraid and disagree that it was too long. But it was also really funny as in it was written in joke structures...meaning it was meant to be funny.
It was his subconscious. When he was a kid he had tried to talk back to his mom and stand up to her (that was the version of him asking about his dad). What did his mom do? She locked up the brave side of him and squashed it for good. It was all skinny because that part of Beaue was starving. The giant testicles is how he sees his dad. His dad is literally nothing but a sperm donor because that’s all his mom told him.
Yes to what @popermen694 said, plus: The reveal is that his dad’s a huge dick - in more ways than one. And Beau’s also got large testicles, like his dad, on some “sins of the father…” type shit.
This is definitely Ari Aster's Babylon, and because of that I enjoy it far more than Babylon. I think this film is 4 excellent chapters that are bound into an unwieldy book. And yet I love it so much. I think the score and sound design and production design are all extraordinary. I love the wonky tone. The first segment in particular really captures the feeling of preparing for 10 different things that could go wrong, and then being hit with an 11th thing way out of left field that spirals into something else and just gets worse and worse . . . Loved the whole ensemble. Parker Posey, Amy Ryan, Nathan Lane, and Hayley Squires were all fantastic. Kylie Rogers as Toni in particular is underrated for her caricature of a nightmare teenage girl. And I loved the cameo by the actor who played the UPS guy (no spoilers; but the delivery of "I'm so sorry" was perhaps the biggest laugh of the whole film). Something strange I've noticed is that I tend to be drawn to films that are messier and not quite fully realized. I feel more inclined to rewatch a film that I don't think is perfect than one that is. While Hereditary and Midsommar are superior films in my opinion, I don't really feel compelled to revisit them, whereas I want to rewatch Beau is Afraid as soon as I possibly can. I'm not sure if that's a common reaction, but there's something really interesting about big swings that kind of miss than less big swings that hit.
i think your radar for hit/miss is off a bit. hereditary and midsommar are more accessible films, less abstract, less introspective. this one is more complicated, “bigger” in more ways than one. i think it’s a straight up misreading to say that it’s not fully realized.
@@obscure.reference I agree with tom. Hereditary, and even Midsommar, is more for bigger audience. You can even watch Hereditary as a plain horror film and ignore all the implied stuff and you can still enjoy the movie. However, this film you need to watch it from technical point of view or digest all the Aster's inside-his-head stuff. And that's not an easy trip. It's totally not for the big audience. I think this movie is like a massive teaser for his next work.
I have not seen the movie yet, but based on some of the reactions I’ve been seeing online, it would seem that this movie is to Ari Aster, what Babylon was for Damien Chazelle
Frickin' love the hail storm interlude!! Your pronunciation, perception, and insight is outstanding; then you hit us with the "ya'll," Texas style. My brain took a breath right there. hahahaha
Beau refers to the color Beau Blue, a type of cyan between blue (detached from physical reality) and green (balanced, clear-minded) inspired by “Neptune Resigning The Empire of the Seas to Britannia” (1846), also MW Industries font color within letters that resemble electromagnetic waves in low frequency/vibrational red (see flamingo on Toni’s wall- feed young milk that looks like blood) surrounded by an egg- “Perfectly Safe”, referencing the Kabbalah. The film can be divided into 11 Chapters referencing Hebrew numbers 0-9 (0 in end), as we see Beau (pronounced “BO”, or binary operation) flip over. The entire essay represents the unicursal hexagram, a six-sided star that can be traced in one continuous line, or Figura Amoris. "Afraid" in the title refers to affine transformation, defined as a "geometric transformation that preserves lines and parallelism, but not necessarily Euclidean distances and angles." We see direct allusions during the conjoining narrative and in the stacked chairs in Mona's frontyard. Ari explores our dimensions textually (Roger suggests Beau not do any jumping jacks, a reference to the toy constructed from wood and paper with string pulled in opposite directions that move its 4 limbs) and visually (Roger's football, MW logo are prolate spheroids, which nebulae down to atomic nuclei also take the shape of-- we see these as hyperboloids in certain scenes-- Virgin Mary statue, cruiseship, Mona's spiral staircase). So many layers I'm not touching on here but it's a start.
I felt this film, and the last 40 mins in particular were a brilliant summation of Munchausen, Johnson's, Hereditary and Midsommar. It ties together all the themes he touched on to some degree with these films really well. I'm glad that he's possibly able to move on to different themes and stories but I'm also unsure how he might do that.
I keep waiting for the Aster film that will really come together for me. He is clearly incredible at creating memorable images but he remains in severe need of editing. I felt that first act was incredible and an hour in this had the potential of being my film of the year so far but as so often happens with Aster... he didn't stick the landing.
My first reaction to the trailer, it comes off more like a Charlie Kaufman film. Like Kaufman, if you reign in some of his ideas, you get a movie like “Being John Malkovich”. Loosen them, you get “Eternal Sunshine”, a perfect film. And when you give him full control you get a movie like “I’m thinking of ending things” and while great, it’s definitely not a movie for everyone. That’s always been my impression of Beau if Afraid.
I loved the first and second act, up until the whole animated scene in the theater in the forest, I wasn't as invested in the 3rd act though, I can not quite express why, but it didn't feel like a proper closure to the movie. Sidenote, I was really surprised to hear my city, Caracas, mentioned twice in the film, and ''Jeeves'' is also seen wearing a shirt with the Venezuelan flag on it. It's funny how I was expecting the most insane movie ever but I was not expecting at all my country mentioned a few times in such a film. I suppose they did it because of Joaquin's childhood years he spent in Venezuela, his sister was actually born there
I ended up stalling till last night just bc of how truly mixed what I was hearing was, I ended up head over heels in love, THIS is the Aster I wanna see more of
This was a great analysis, thank you for sharing your side. I felt this movie was definitely not for everyone. It was not perfect neither, but I loved it a lot! I came into the theater blind and not knowing what to expect from Ari Aster, but I welcomed it all. Joaquin Phoenix is such a committed actor. I was sold by his portrayal as Beau. I also really admired the film's cinematography and score. I can't wait to get this film on 4K blu-ray!
yes! I totally agree with you, you articulated your points perfectly. I love surreal/psychedelic stuff but this is like not quite serving, it’s a bit overindulgent. I still liked a lot about it, even though I also kinda hated it. I wonder if it would work better cut down or even cut into episodes- it’s already split into 4 episodes as is, it might flow better as a series so each segment is like it’s own lil short exploring the theme. but the viewer can take a break haha. also spoiler alert: imo it’s a bummer death trip, his life is flashing before his eyes, it starts with his birth and ends with judgment/non-existence.
I really liked the first act of the film up to and including him being taken to the couple's house. Because there are more layers there than just the devouring mother and we also see some social commentary in the dystopian hellscape he experiences both in his apartment complex and later in suburbia. His false guilt stems not only from his feelings of inadequacy in relation to his mother but also from his inability to relate to the society around him. And it's interesting how everyone around him is completely sick and deranged yet they all treat him as if he is the one who is mentally ill or deficient in some way. In actuality he is quite reasonable and thoughtful. I think any intelligent and compassionate person with their critical faculties and powers of discernment still intact can relate to this feeling of having your well-being pathologized by sick people living in a sick society. The first act illustrates well how deep and pervasive collective mental illness is in both neglected urban areas and in gated suburbia. It does a great job of showing how the well-adjusted are truly the most mentally ill among us, while those who suffer may often suffer from a place of sensitivity/thoughtfulness, and therefore from a place of health. But like you said, the third act shifts focus entirely to the overbearing mother and there's just not as much substance there. When the other psychic layers are taken away it's just not as interesting on its own. But in the first act we also see the rotten fruits of imperialism, the US coming to resemble one of its own vassal states, the narcissism and sociopathy of the young, gross cultural decline, we see how the superego suffers in relation to the ego and not just how Beau's id is dominated by his mother. Those three layers work very well together but not necessarily on their own.
Great review as always. I feel as an “odyssey” it definitely needed more layers and variation. I totally agree that it thinks it’s saying more than it really is.
Thank you for Making the connection between this movie and mother! You are the first criti to make that connection.I made the connection first time watching this movie... Granted mother! Was another movie that was very misunderstood By critics and audience members alike.... Mother! was my favorite movie until I saw Beau is afraid.These are my 2 favorite movies.And yes they're similar decent breakdown..... but i do find the movie to be complete on a level that gives you more than any other movie ever!
We also had severe rainstorms in western Germany the last weeks. But I'm quite happy since it really helps with allergy season 🤧 Also, nature here is visibly recovering after the drought during last year 🍀
Just found you and subscribed. Excellent critique. I was 100 per cent enthralled for about the first 90 minutes.I would watch that again and skip the rest as much as I love Parker and Patti .
Track down some of his short films if you can. There's his first short Beau, which the opening of Beau is Afraid is based on, but all of his early shorts share the absurdist nature on display here. Beau Is Afraid feels like he's taking every cinematic idea he's had up until now and jettisoning it out of his head and onto the screen, and extrapolating them so far out there that certain moments even poke fun at the reactions he knows are coming.
SPOILER ALERT: I thought the ending sequence in the “coliseum,” was very much a critique of film viewers/critics. The stadium seating, the placement of the exit signs, the lighting that didn’t give us a clear view of the audience, much like we don’t see one another clearly in a darkened theater. The debate that Beau was a bad son, a lazy ass essentially, but a man in the crowd denouncing this critique and saying how Beau was misunderstood because he was so afraid due to the serious abuse turned fear he experienced. And for all his empathy toward Beau and his plight, dude gets plunged into the rocks face first, a la Midsommar. And there is a silence when Beau capsizes and drowns. When the credits roll, the audience quietly gets up and leaves, much like we are about to do. There was also a Truman Show vibe earlier on but not so obvious as Truman Show was, so rather than the fictional audience of Truman Show, we become the audience of this man’s life, whether we find him almost adorably passive or a horrible son and loafer, the “critics,” in the end seem to be (rather pointedly) guiding our opinion rather than allowing us to make up our own minds based on what we’ve experienced right alongside Beau. I believe Aster knew and still knows how divisive this film will be, so the last sequence is showing the aftermath of such an unusual film. One side will say this and hate the film, the other side may say that and perhaps love it (and be cast down to the rocks below for it, therefore silenced). As for the second act: dude starts living off his meds (he was ass naked when hit by the car, nothing on him or near him other than his figurine). His thoughts are somewhere between foggy and clear, which is why he appreciates the play but to the point of making it about him and adding the sequences in his own mind wherein he marries and has children (even though his mother’s fear-inducing manipulation has nearly forced him into lifelong celibacy). He is taken out of the play when he realizes that his children couldn’t have existed because he’s a virgin, to the point of never even masturbating (which explains the projectile vomit when he sees his first and only love on the laptop). It was an epic quest of a hard worker who makes his own way in life, yet is denied the opportunity to live it fully by forces of nature (in this case, a flood of water, which I’ve been told is the translation of the word Wasser, Beau’s last name and his mother’s being Wasserman), so even in his fantasy, his mother is ever present, overbearing, and dangerous. Though I laughed, the part in the play where Beau’s wife will “sometimes look like a man,” makes more sense as I ruminate. The portrait of his grandmother looked nearly identical to the “wife man” in his version of the play. The familial evil was hereditary (well-played, Aster) and pinned Beau down harder with each generation. Also of note: I believe the first act was a combination of his own anxious, paranoid mind with whatever mind-altering drugs he’d been taking. They didn’t make the bizarre reality go away, but the meds definitely helped him deal with it. It was reality, just dialed up in the mind of a man not well-suited for it. People brandish firearms willy nilly, dead people lay in the streets, and the filth is constant and frightening, much like the unfortunate reality for some people, but clearly amped up to eleven to make it seem like a (near) unbelievable dystopia. One of the funniest things about Beau’s reality is how even normal people, like a news reporter, say things that are completely outlandish, hence the “Birthday Boy Stabbing Man, described as a circumcised white male who stabs people in the throat and guts.” I lost it. That was one of the funniest things in the entire movie. However, just as the news media can exaggerate to get ratings, Beau, who doesn’t appear to have much capacity for creativity (until he’s off the meds), notices this but conjures up the most uncreative name for this deranged killer. And maybe it’s not in Beau’s mind. Maybe it’s all of us, from the theater-goer to the news reporter, to Amy Ryan and Nathan Lane and their daughter (all whom love their cocktails of pills). Even in his mother’s house, many pictures of Beau are advertisements for meds rather than family portraits. Our realities have perhaps shifted without even realizing it. Some folks have commented that the first act “looked a lot like downtown LA or NYC or Portland,” and added to this, we’re all in a bit of a self-serving Truman show of sorts, recording everything we do or say or what others do or say for our own amusement in order to get clicks or views or positive comments because we’re on the brink of losing actual relationships and identities in place of digital ones. Here I am as proof. Though I’m using the “written” word, it’s on a digital plane and will be read by people who may or may not like this comment (which is bordering a thesis at this point) or may or may not respond with a comment, negative or positive, but either way cementing what this film, in part, had to say about society.
Insightful review. I agree with pretty much everything you say. The drama troupe in the woods felt least weighty to me too, though the visuals kept me entertained. The final delve into Beau's relationship with his mother was too little too late. I think the movie started to feel recycled because its basic theme, Beau is victimized by his mother, lacks depth. For comparison, Alex Garland's Men rides a similarly phantasmagorical wave to the finish, and no doubt many viewers came away feeling that it kept on hammering home the same point ad nauseam. I agree with them up until when our female protagonist asks the man monster (also her ex), "What is it that you want from me?" And he replies, "Your love." That single line adds incredible complexity. You can go back and watch the movie, repeating to yourself, "These confused men are asking for love", and there's a very good chance that Men will speak to you on a different level. I don't think a similar exercise can be performed with Beau Is Afraid. His mother remains a one dimensional monster. On the positive side: the long takes to draw out tension were masterful. I could watch subtle emotion flash across Joaquin Phoenix's face all day long (is there a more courageous actor alive?). The sly references to our society (active shooters, youths buying guns, everyone over medicated, fears regarding constant surveillance) were my favorites. Like you said, there were more than a few extremely creatively rendered scenes that I won't be forgetting anytime soon. I particularly loved when the homeless people partied in Beau's apartment. What a clever expression of his privacy being invaded! I felt it in my bones. Keep making movies, Ari!
Good analysis. Loved hereditary seen it a few times and I like midsommar a lot. You describe the issues with beau is well. For me the woodlands play bit was the only wow moment, conceptually and narratively. The 1st and 3rd acts were just ok. Whole movie has some totally hilarious moments. Plus side of whole movie includes that it has a tone or tones that I’ve never really seen before. Reminded me of a slightly different being john malkovich sometimes w it’s kind of menacing knowingness. With that movie in mind, being john would be grounded in a reality sometimes, which made the crazier stuff both crazier and more relatable, while beau is afraid is like a dream sequence literally the whole way through, so we have no variety
Loved the review, and I agree that this movie wasn’t succinct or clever, but I read those as artistic choices. For me, the messiness was part of the fun.
Its my favorite movie by him, but i understand why many would hate it. I would say pay attention to the MW logo mixed up with the studio logos, you see it all over the movie too. I feel like it kinda explains the movie a lot more, in my opinion. I just appreciate how bold the movie is. We need more directors like ari aster.
Although I've heard mixed reviews. This film seems to have more people talking about it than Ari Asters' previous films. Which for the director has to be a good thing.
haven’t seen this yet, but dang ending of Hereditary loses you? I’d love to see a rewatch review. I think the ending of that film is absolutely horrifying and perfectly rounds the story out. love your reviews!
you'd love to see a 'rewatch review' (who does that? be so boring to review the same movie multiple times) where she changes her opinion so it's the same as yours you mean? You liked a part of a movie, someone else didn't - it's not that profound
An excellent review. I just saw it and was eager to get your view. Well- done. Not to be too snarky, but "Psycho" said all the same stuff in such a less portentous way. And that was 50 years ago.
i really liked the film and dont really have problems with hereditary at all (havent seen midsommar yet) but maybe one of asters problems is ending his stories because the very end had me expecting something more. at the same time in the last hour i thought it was about to end like 5 times
I think I’m first, not sure. I’ll try to give this movie a try although I’m not fan of movies about mental health issues, like paranoia, depression or dementia, specially with an actor like Phoenix who can represent those issues exceptionally well.
Hey there, You talk about how there's quite a few movies you've watched whose tackled Freudian son-mother complexes more effectively. Do you have some recommendations in this direction?
the final sequence of this film (the trial) is one of my favorite sort of “adaptations of the mind” i’ve seen on film in a very long time. i was actively not enjoying the movie until he entered the forest and the play began. sadly the humor wasn’t really my preference and i didn’t laugh in the theater. the play narrator was much more alluring to me and the animation was stellar. i agree that this would perhaps have adapted better as a short film or even limited series. great review!
funny, I was finding it consistently interesting (if not always 'enjoyable') UNTIL the trial, that's the moment the movie fell apart for me and soured the ending with a misjudged wordy episode to end the film + ugly CGI visuals
Great review as always. Thanks. I'd be interested to hear your views on the Amazon Prime mini series remake of Dead Ringers, with Rachel Weisz in the parts of Elliot and Beverly Mantle. Take care.
Our opinions align perfectly on this one. Although, like with the killer, I didn’t really find any of this film to be funny outside of the first like 25 minutes.
I'll probably see this. Nice review. Ari Aster movies don't really scare me, though they do have some interesting qualities and quirks about them. I did appreciate his New Age critiques in a couple of his films. Looking forward to seeing how he uses Joaquin here. P.S. Glad you survived the halestorm.
Its heavily raining as usual here in England while im watching this and its been hailing but your texas hail sounds a lot bigger! That hail sounded like it was coming through the roof
First two major locations I thought were very promising but everything from the forest afterward was a farce. The theater sequence was Usual Suspects level of "what was the fucking point of that?" Everything at the house was incredibly long-winded and isolating for being so bizarre. For the end arena I was just waiting for it to end. Happy to see Beadle Russell from The Wire working again though.
I think she absolutely nailed it. I feel the same way in that well in a few words.. it couldve been better. Visually its stunning and the acting is superb but like she said by the end it feels hollow and repetitive with no grand emotional conclusion even tho the end is a grand finale
You said in your review that you've seen the themes in this movie presented better in other movies. Having not seen this movie yet, I see it tomorrow, what other movies in your opinion, depicted the ideas better? Thanks :)
I left after less than an hour because I wasn’t feeing that great but also I wasn’t that engaged. He was trying to do too much at once imo. Too heavy handed. I kept thinking about Fellini’s 8 1/2 which felt so genuine to me in comparison. Or maybe it’s just that catholic guilt resonates more for me ?
This isn’t a film about an overbearing mother. This film is largely a critique of imperialism. The movie is slightly bloated and unwieldy at times but still very thrilling thematically. This film has a lot to say and is very cutting, many of the clues are given through visual cues. The poster behind the police officer in the first act is one glaring example, but the messaging is rife throughout 🎉🎉🎉
I honest think he had like 20 movie ideas (not developed, just conceot), then he got offered 35mil and knew this was probably the largest budget he was ever going to get for an indy film that he had full control over; so he just did all these ideas together and connected them with one character
The third act must never fail to be considered a good movie. This is the fatal error on this film. Hereditary is a masterpiece, Midsommar is quiet good for me, but this movie was a great disappoint. By the way, great channel 👌🏼👌🏼🎥🎥
3:14 You've seen done it better. Just saying... this would be a great time to throw up some bullet points on a few movies (footnotes in editing) for those us who value your opinion and how you weigh your critiques in relation to other films. If they're later in the video, then disregard. From what I've seen of Aster, I think his feature films are above average, but not phenomenal. Your review doesn't subvert that expectation either.
I think Aster is trying to make a statement about studio interference and control on movies. We already know A24 gives their filmmakers a lot of creative freedom and they gave Aster a big budget for this one. The ending is so ridiculous that the film itself becomes a satire of how other studios would not allow something like this to be made. It’s like Aster is intentionally sabotaging his own movie to show a directors indulgence and explain why most of the studios interfere in the first place. That’s what I took away from it.
I can’t help but feel this is a take on American society’s uncomfortable relationship with sex and violence. The violence is normal and if you are scared of it there is some sort of problem with you while having sex can/should (in some circles) end your life as you know it.
The ending also fell flat and was unnecessary. Some audiences have thought it was a bad Truman Show because of that last scene. The last 10 minutes of the movie could've been cut entirely.
No matter how others dance around it... this movie failed badly. Basically a projectile vomit tsunami of mommy issues. So the updated scoreboard: Aster: 3 films. 3 bad endings... and his films are getting worse, not better.
My significant other and I have been fans of yours for years. I couldn't even tell you the amount of movies we've rewatched or ones we've watched that we wouldn't have if we hadn't heard your critiques. We both agreed that this is our favourite critique you've done. Please never stop what you're doing...we love you!
DOUBLE THIS A THOUSAND MEGABILLION TIMES!
Lovely comment. Plenty of films I’ve loved that she’s disliked & equally things I’ve disliked that she’s loved and every time have always appreciated the insights. Always am so excited to hear the thoughts, especially for stuff I haven’t seen yet (like this)
I mean, by all means stop what you're doing if it's become boring or no longer meaningful or fulfilling
Looking for a third in the bedroom pal ?
Significant other?
Your facility with the spoken word is damned impressive. The biggest pleasure of listening to your reviews is simply the way you describe what you've seen in a way that's so immediately relatable and convincing. The movie sounds interesting too. Hope the hail didn't do too much damage - Yay Texas weather!
Maybe it’s because I haven’t seen enough films, but Beau is Afraid felt wholly unique to me in a way that could never be fully replicated by any other filmmaker. The message worked for me, it didn’t feel repetitive because each of the 4 “chapters” felt distinct while covering different segments of the same thesis. I’ve seen it 3 times, it gets funnier and slightly less shocking on every rewatch. But I think it will hold up over time as this weird odyssey that explores a relatable subject in an artistic and deeply sardonic way.
no you are right , we wont be seeing a film quite like this for a very long time . Probably until Ari asters next film is released (a noir western)
There is a lot of pointed symbolism in the film. For instance, the naked guy with the knife (Baby Stabby Man) is a Mohel. Also, Beau's family name is Wassermann- German for 'Water Man'- and there is a LOT of water in this film. The boat journey at the end is a trip back to the womb, bringing the life story full-circle; Aster surely restrained himself from adding a shark to this scene. The film is the most pronouncedly Jewish flick since the Coens' 'A Serious Man,' so much so that I was wondering when Richard Kind would show up and, sure enough, there he is as the Prosecutor (in a lift from Albert Brooks's 'Defending Your Life'). A great film that is hard to recommend to a broad audience.
Bix nood
I completely agree with your critique of Beau. While the film as a whole does not work, there are several brilliantly constructed scenes and vignettes throughout, and many would have worked well as short films. Also, I'm wondering if perhaps the film could have used more time in the editing room. It's possible that there is a really well constructed and organized film in there, and it could have come out after some serious editing.
You're criminally underwatched as a reviewer. Another fantastic analysis.
What I love about it is the film never breaks away from Beau's perspective. Is this real? Is it all in his head? We're never really told.
I will stand by my assessment that this is Ari Aster's Babylon, his daring auteur epic that may split audiences but cements itself as truly unique cinematic experience.
We are basically told in the end when we see a giant picture of her made up with smaller pictures of her employees. I wish I could have paused it but I saw enough familiar faces to realize his whole reality is being concocted by his mother. This is Ari Aster's Truman Show.
I couldn't disagree with you more. This was a fantastic film solidified by Phonenix's performance. I have a sibling with mental illness and I totally empathize with the themes in the film. I heard people laughing and I didn't get it but this is what good films can do. I also saw people leave and I understand films can also have that impact. This film is an experience and sometimes I don't always need explanations, backstories or even a rationale behind the film. If that was the case I would've hated "Titane."
but for Titane we do get a backstory and there was a rationale.
I loved beau's Afraid and disagree that it was too long. But it was also really funny as in it was written in joke structures...meaning it was meant to be funny.
The attic scene really made me feel like I missed something
It was his subconscious. When he was a kid he had tried to talk back to his mom and stand up to her (that was the version of him asking about his dad). What did his mom do? She locked up the brave side of him and squashed it for good.
It was all skinny because that part of Beaue was starving. The giant testicles is how he sees his dad. His dad is literally nothing but a sperm donor because that’s all his mom told him.
Yes to what @popermen694 said, plus: The reveal is that his dad’s a huge dick - in more ways than one. And Beau’s also got large testicles, like his dad, on some “sins of the father…” type shit.
This is definitely Ari Aster's Babylon, and because of that I enjoy it far more than Babylon. I think this film is 4 excellent chapters that are bound into an unwieldy book. And yet I love it so much. I think the score and sound design and production design are all extraordinary. I love the wonky tone. The first segment in particular really captures the feeling of preparing for 10 different things that could go wrong, and then being hit with an 11th thing way out of left field that spirals into something else and just gets worse and worse . . .
Loved the whole ensemble. Parker Posey, Amy Ryan, Nathan Lane, and Hayley Squires were all fantastic. Kylie Rogers as Toni in particular is underrated for her caricature of a nightmare teenage girl. And I loved the cameo by the actor who played the UPS guy (no spoilers; but the delivery of "I'm so sorry" was perhaps the biggest laugh of the whole film).
Something strange I've noticed is that I tend to be drawn to films that are messier and not quite fully realized. I feel more inclined to rewatch a film that I don't think is perfect than one that is. While Hereditary and Midsommar are superior films in my opinion, I don't really feel compelled to revisit them, whereas I want to rewatch Beau is Afraid as soon as I possibly can. I'm not sure if that's a common reaction, but there's something really interesting about big swings that kind of miss than less big swings that hit.
i think your radar for hit/miss is off a bit. hereditary and midsommar are more accessible films, less abstract, less introspective. this one is more complicated, “bigger” in more ways than one. i think it’s a straight up misreading to say that it’s not fully realized.
@@obscure.reference I agree with tom. Hereditary, and even Midsommar, is more for bigger audience. You can even watch Hereditary as a plain horror film and ignore all the implied stuff and you can still enjoy the movie. However, this film you need to watch it from technical point of view or digest all the Aster's inside-his-head stuff. And that's not an easy trip. It's totally not for the big audience. I think this movie is like a massive teaser for his next work.
@@obscure.reference Is that not what he said?
I have not seen the movie yet, but based on some of the reactions I’ve been seeing online, it would seem that this movie is to Ari Aster, what Babylon was for Damien Chazelle
Yep..... both messes.
babylon = love letter to making movies
beau is afraid = love letter to being neurotic as fuck
Babylon could’ve been easily digestible and a box office hit 30 years ago. Beau is Afraid was doomed on arrival.
Frickin' love the hail storm interlude!! Your pronunciation, perception, and insight is outstanding; then you hit us with the "ya'll," Texas style. My brain took a breath right there. hahahaha
The truth comes out! XD
Beau refers to the color Beau Blue, a type of cyan between blue (detached from physical reality) and green (balanced, clear-minded) inspired by “Neptune Resigning The Empire of the Seas to Britannia” (1846), also MW Industries font color within letters that resemble electromagnetic waves in low frequency/vibrational red (see flamingo on Toni’s wall- feed young milk that looks like blood) surrounded by an egg- “Perfectly Safe”, referencing the Kabbalah. The film can be divided into 11 Chapters referencing Hebrew numbers 0-9 (0 in end), as we see Beau (pronounced “BO”, or binary operation) flip over. The entire essay represents the unicursal hexagram, a six-sided star that can be traced in one continuous line, or Figura Amoris. "Afraid" in the title refers to affine transformation, defined as a "geometric transformation that preserves lines and parallelism, but not necessarily Euclidean distances and angles." We see direct allusions during the conjoining narrative and in the stacked chairs in Mona's frontyard. Ari explores our dimensions textually (Roger suggests Beau not do any jumping jacks, a reference to the toy constructed from wood and paper with string pulled in opposite directions that move its 4 limbs) and visually (Roger's football, MW logo are prolate spheroids, which nebulae down to atomic nuclei also take the shape of-- we see these as hyperboloids in certain scenes-- Virgin Mary statue, cruiseship, Mona's spiral staircase). So many layers I'm not touching on here but it's a start.
I felt this film, and the last 40 mins in particular were a brilliant summation of Munchausen, Johnson's, Hereditary and Midsommar. It ties together all the themes he touched on to some degree with these films really well. I'm glad that he's possibly able to move on to different themes and stories but I'm also unsure how he might do that.
the first act where his keys are stolen is a short film of asters from years ago so this must of a culmination of ideas for him
I keep waiting for the Aster film that will really come together for me. He is clearly incredible at creating memorable images but he remains in severe need of editing. I felt that first act was incredible and an hour in this had the potential of being my film of the year so far but as so often happens with Aster... he didn't stick the landing.
you seriously didn’t think hereditary suck the landing?
It's always good to listen to what you have to say as you are much more erudite in movie language it helps me crystallise what I have already thought
My first reaction to the trailer, it comes off more like a Charlie Kaufman film. Like Kaufman, if you reign in some of his ideas, you get a movie like “Being John Malkovich”. Loosen them, you get “Eternal Sunshine”, a perfect film. And when you give him full control you get a movie like “I’m thinking of ending things” and while great, it’s definitely not a movie for everyone.
That’s always been my impression of Beau if Afraid.
I loved the first and second act, up until the whole animated scene in the theater in the forest, I wasn't as invested in the 3rd act though, I can not quite express why, but it didn't feel like a proper closure to the movie. Sidenote, I was really surprised to hear my city, Caracas, mentioned twice in the film, and ''Jeeves'' is also seen wearing a shirt with the Venezuelan flag on it. It's funny how I was expecting the most insane movie ever but I was not expecting at all my country mentioned a few times in such a film. I suppose they did it because of Joaquin's childhood years he spent in Venezuela, his sister was actually born there
I ended up stalling till last night just bc of how truly mixed what I was hearing was, I ended up head over heels in love, THIS is the Aster I wanna see more of
This was a great analysis, thank you for sharing your side. I felt this movie was definitely not for everyone. It was not perfect neither, but I loved it a lot! I came into the theater blind and not knowing what to expect from Ari Aster, but I welcomed it all. Joaquin Phoenix is such a committed actor. I was sold by his portrayal as Beau. I also really admired the film's cinematography and score. I can't wait to get this film on 4K blu-ray!
Around the end of the film I was reminded of the music video for Radiohead’s “Daydreaming“.
yes! I totally agree with you, you articulated your points perfectly.
I love surreal/psychedelic stuff but this is like not quite serving, it’s a bit overindulgent. I still liked a lot about it, even though I also kinda hated it.
I wonder if it would work better cut down or even cut into episodes- it’s already split into 4 episodes as is, it might flow better as a series so each segment is like it’s own lil short exploring the theme. but the viewer can take a break haha.
also spoiler alert: imo it’s a bummer death trip, his life is flashing before his eyes, it starts with his birth and ends with judgment/non-existence.
A fellow Texan! That’s cool! Loved this review, though my distaste for Midsommar has really dampened my excitement for this film.
We have the CIA to thank for their weather control technology
So happy you appreciated the movie even with its issues. All Ari Aster movies have a bit of a weak 3rd act. Can't wait to see it in theaters.
It’s actually based on a short film he made a decade ago that A24 took down from the web recently.
You exactly summed up A24! I always said the best A24 films are just the phantom limbs of the best of criterion films.
I really liked the first act of the film up to and including him being taken to the couple's house. Because there are more layers there than just the devouring mother and we also see some social commentary in the dystopian hellscape he experiences both in his apartment complex and later in suburbia. His false guilt stems not only from his feelings of inadequacy in relation to his mother but also from his inability to relate to the society around him. And it's interesting how everyone around him is completely sick and deranged yet they all treat him as if he is the one who is mentally ill or deficient in some way. In actuality he is quite reasonable and thoughtful. I think any intelligent and compassionate person with their critical faculties and powers of discernment still intact can relate to this feeling of having your well-being pathologized by sick people living in a sick society. The first act illustrates well how deep and pervasive collective mental illness is in both neglected urban areas and in gated suburbia. It does a great job of showing how the well-adjusted are truly the most mentally ill among us, while those who suffer may often suffer from a place of sensitivity/thoughtfulness, and therefore from a place of health. But like you said, the third act shifts focus entirely to the overbearing mother and there's just not as much substance there. When the other psychic layers are taken away it's just not as interesting on its own. But in the first act we also see the rotten fruits of imperialism, the US coming to resemble one of its own vassal states, the narcissism and sociopathy of the young, gross cultural decline, we see how the superego suffers in relation to the ego and not just how Beau's id is dominated by his mother. Those three layers work very well together but not necessarily on their own.
Great review as always.
I feel as an “odyssey” it definitely needed more layers and variation. I totally agree that it thinks it’s saying more than it really is.
Thank you for
Making the connection between this movie and mother! You are the first criti to make that connection.I made the connection first time watching this movie... Granted mother! Was another movie that was very misunderstood By critics and audience members alike.... Mother! was my favorite movie until I saw Beau is afraid.These are my 2 favorite movies.And yes they're similar decent breakdown..... but i do find the movie to be complete on a level that gives you more than any other movie ever!
We also had severe rainstorms in western Germany the last weeks. But I'm quite happy since it really helps with allergy season 🤧 Also, nature here is visibly recovering after the drought during last year 🍀
You have Ritter Sport Alpenmilch chocolate too that I can't get. Yum.
Just found you and subscribed. Excellent critique. I was 100 per cent enthralled for about the first 90 minutes.I would watch that again and skip the rest as much as I love Parker and Patti .
Track down some of his short films if you can. There's his first short Beau, which the opening of Beau is Afraid is based on, but all of his early shorts share the absurdist nature on display here. Beau Is Afraid feels like he's taking every cinematic idea he's had up until now and jettisoning it out of his head and onto the screen, and extrapolating them so far out there that certain moments even poke fun at the reactions he knows are coming.
The short films are really great. I think he is better off with less of a budget
Your film reviews are always on point with an ample amount of detail👏 favorite review by FAR.
SPOILER ALERT:
I thought the ending sequence in the “coliseum,” was very much a critique of film viewers/critics. The stadium seating, the placement of the exit signs, the lighting that didn’t give us a clear view of the audience, much like we don’t see one another clearly in a darkened theater. The debate that Beau was a bad son, a lazy ass essentially, but a man in the crowd denouncing this critique and saying how Beau was misunderstood because he was so afraid due to the serious abuse turned fear he experienced. And for all his empathy toward Beau and his plight, dude gets plunged into the rocks face first, a la Midsommar. And there is a silence when Beau capsizes and drowns. When the credits roll, the audience quietly gets up and leaves, much like we are about to do. There was also a Truman Show vibe earlier on but not so obvious as Truman Show was, so rather than the fictional audience of Truman Show, we become the audience of this man’s life, whether we find him almost adorably passive or a horrible son and loafer, the “critics,” in the end seem to be (rather pointedly) guiding our opinion rather than allowing us to make up our own minds based on what we’ve experienced right alongside Beau. I believe Aster knew and still knows how divisive this film will be, so the last sequence is showing the aftermath of such an unusual film. One side will say this and hate the film, the other side may say that and perhaps love it (and be cast down to the rocks below for it, therefore silenced).
As for the second act: dude starts living off his meds (he was ass naked when hit by the car, nothing on him or near him other than his figurine). His thoughts are somewhere between foggy and clear, which is why he appreciates the play but to the point of making it about him and adding the sequences in his own mind wherein he marries and has children (even though his mother’s fear-inducing manipulation has nearly forced him into lifelong celibacy). He is taken out of the play when he realizes that his children couldn’t have existed because he’s a virgin, to the point of never even masturbating (which explains the projectile vomit when he sees his first and only love on the laptop). It was an epic quest of a hard worker who makes his own way in life, yet is denied the opportunity to live it fully by forces of nature (in this case, a flood of water, which I’ve been told is the translation of the word Wasser, Beau’s last name and his mother’s being Wasserman), so even in his fantasy, his mother is ever present, overbearing, and dangerous. Though I laughed, the part in the play where Beau’s wife will “sometimes look like a man,” makes more sense as I ruminate. The portrait of his grandmother looked nearly identical to the “wife man” in his version of the play. The familial evil was hereditary (well-played, Aster) and pinned Beau down harder with each generation.
Also of note: I believe the first act was a combination of his own anxious, paranoid mind with whatever mind-altering drugs he’d been taking. They didn’t make the bizarre reality go away, but the meds definitely helped him deal with it. It was reality, just dialed up in the mind of a man not well-suited for it. People brandish firearms willy nilly, dead people lay in the streets, and the filth is constant and frightening, much like the unfortunate reality for some people, but clearly amped up to eleven to make it seem like a (near) unbelievable dystopia. One of the funniest things about Beau’s reality is how even normal people, like a news reporter, say things that are completely outlandish, hence the “Birthday Boy Stabbing Man, described as a circumcised white male who stabs people in the throat and guts.” I lost it. That was one of the funniest things in the entire movie. However, just as the news media can exaggerate to get ratings, Beau, who doesn’t appear to have much capacity for creativity (until he’s off the meds), notices this but conjures up the most uncreative name for this deranged killer. And maybe it’s not in Beau’s mind. Maybe it’s all of us, from the theater-goer to the news reporter, to Amy Ryan and Nathan Lane and their daughter (all whom love their cocktails of pills). Even in his mother’s house, many pictures of Beau are advertisements for meds rather than family portraits. Our realities have perhaps shifted without even realizing it. Some folks have commented that the first act “looked a lot like downtown LA or NYC or Portland,” and added to this, we’re all in a bit of a self-serving Truman show of sorts, recording everything we do or say or what others do or say for our own amusement in order to get clicks or views or positive comments because we’re on the brink of losing actual relationships and identities in place of digital ones. Here I am as proof. Though I’m using the “written” word, it’s on a digital plane and will be read by people who may or may not like this comment (which is bordering a thesis at this point) or may or may not respond with a comment, negative or positive, but either way cementing what this film, in part, had to say about society.
I agree 100%.
Love it
A review within a review, very well said 😅
Ahhhh shut up!
Damn dude, you must really care about film, well put, thanks
Great review, made me even more excited for the film
just an observation.. you really seem a likeable and charismatic person :)
6:30 Funny that you say that the first act could be a short film when it was actually adapted from Astor's short film "Beau"
This review was spot on and poetic too.
The hail felt surreal too, Maybe a perfect extra for this movie explanation
Insightful review. I agree with pretty much everything you say. The drama troupe in the woods felt least weighty to me too, though the visuals kept me entertained. The final delve into Beau's relationship with his mother was too little too late. I think the movie started to feel recycled because its basic theme, Beau is victimized by his mother, lacks depth. For comparison, Alex Garland's Men rides a similarly phantasmagorical wave to the finish, and no doubt many viewers came away feeling that it kept on hammering home the same point ad nauseam. I agree with them up until when our female protagonist asks the man monster (also her ex), "What is it that you want from me?" And he replies, "Your love." That single line adds incredible complexity. You can go back and watch the movie, repeating to yourself, "These confused men are asking for love", and there's a very good chance that Men will speak to you on a different level. I don't think a similar exercise can be performed with Beau Is Afraid. His mother remains a one dimensional monster.
On the positive side: the long takes to draw out tension were masterful. I could watch subtle emotion flash across Joaquin Phoenix's face all day long (is there a more courageous actor alive?). The sly references to our society (active shooters, youths buying guns, everyone over medicated, fears regarding constant surveillance) were my favorites. Like you said, there were more than a few extremely creatively rendered scenes that I won't be forgetting anytime soon. I particularly loved when the homeless people partied in Beau's apartment. What a clever expression of his privacy being invaded! I felt it in my bones. Keep making movies, Ari!
Good analysis. Loved hereditary seen it a few times and I like midsommar a lot. You describe the issues with beau is well. For me the woodlands play bit was the only wow moment, conceptually and narratively. The 1st and 3rd acts were just ok. Whole movie has some totally hilarious moments. Plus side of whole movie includes that it has a tone or tones that I’ve never really seen before. Reminded me of a slightly different being john malkovich sometimes w it’s kind of menacing knowingness. With that movie in mind, being john would be grounded in a reality sometimes, which made the crazier stuff both crazier and more relatable, while beau is afraid is like a dream sequence literally the whole way through, so we have no variety
It is actually an expansion of an earlier short of his titled “Beau”! Great review as always
Thanks for leaving in your reaction to the Texas Hailstorm. It fit in so well somehow!
I enjoyed it. But I do agree that this probably could have worked better if it was broken up to shorts. Almost like a tv series
Loved the review, and I agree that this movie wasn’t succinct or clever, but I read those as artistic choices. For me, the messiness was part of the fun.
Its my favorite movie by him, but i understand why many would hate it. I would say pay attention to the MW logo mixed up with the studio logos, you see it all over the movie too. I feel like it kinda explains the movie a lot more, in my opinion. I just appreciate how bold the movie is. We need more directors like ari aster.
Hard to do this type of movie, a dream/trip is hard to put on film.
Although I've heard mixed reviews. This film seems to have more people talking about it than Ari Asters' previous films. Which for the director has to be a good thing.
"Metaphorical castration"...is simply a brilliant description of this movie! Excellent analysis!
Beau may be afraid, but Mother Nature was definitely angry during this review!
She probably watched the movie.
haven’t seen this yet, but dang ending of Hereditary loses you? I’d love to see a rewatch review. I think the ending of that film is absolutely horrifying and perfectly rounds the story out.
love your reviews!
I concur, the ending made my fur stand up, I loved it.
The ending was good but some of the logic before we get to the final scenes doesn't really work in my opinion. It's still a solid horror movie though!
you'd love to see a 'rewatch review' (who does that? be so boring to review the same movie multiple times) where she changes her opinion so it's the same as yours you mean? You liked a part of a movie, someone else didn't - it's not that profound
The expression on your face when the hail came down reminded me of Elenore (Julie Harris) in the Haunting when things went bump in the night.
An excellent review. I just saw it and was eager to get your view. Well- done. Not to be too snarky, but "Psycho" said all the same stuff in such a less portentous way. And that was 50 years ago.
I thoroughly enjoyed this filmgoing experience
i really liked the film and dont really have problems with hereditary at all (havent seen midsommar yet) but maybe one of asters problems is ending his stories because the very end had me expecting something more. at the same time in the last hour i thought it was about to end like 5 times
I think I’m first, not sure.
I’ll try to give this movie a try although I’m not fan of movies about mental health issues, like paranoia, depression or dementia, specially with an actor like Phoenix who can represent those issues exceptionally well.
“I hope my windows do not smash because I don’t want to shoot this again” strange priorities
Always love your reviews.
Hey there,
You talk about how there's quite a few movies you've watched whose tackled Freudian son-mother complexes more effectively. Do you have some recommendations in this direction?
I'm happy he reconnected with his childhood friend in a romantic way. ❤
Could you recommend some of those films you mentioned that touch on Freudian themes in a better way?
the final sequence of this film (the trial) is one of my favorite sort of “adaptations of the mind” i’ve seen on film in a very long time. i was actively not enjoying the movie until he entered the forest and the play began. sadly the humor wasn’t really my preference and i didn’t laugh in the theater. the play narrator was much more alluring to me and the animation was stellar. i agree that this would perhaps have adapted better as a short film or even limited series. great review!
Lol I laughed my ass off
funny, I was finding it consistently interesting (if not always 'enjoyable') UNTIL the trial, that's the moment the movie fell apart for me and soured the ending with a misjudged wordy episode to end the film + ugly CGI visuals
The whole trial sequence reminds me so of Pink Floyd’s The Wall
Great review as always. Thanks. I'd be interested to hear your views on the Amazon Prime mini series remake of Dead Ringers, with Rachel Weisz in the parts of Elliot and Beverly Mantle. Take care.
Our opinions align perfectly on this one. Although, like with the killer, I didn’t really find any of this film to be funny outside of the first like 25 minutes.
I was listening to the video while cooking and got spooked when the hail started falling. Hope everything is ok.
“A lot of the aesthetic is smothering the intent”….nice observation.
I'll probably see this. Nice review. Ari Aster movies don't really scare me, though they do have some interesting qualities and quirks about them. I did appreciate his New Age critiques in a couple of his films. Looking forward to seeing how he uses Joaquin here. P.S. Glad you survived the halestorm.
Your reviews are very good. Keep it up.
Its heavily raining as usual here in England while im watching this and its been hailing but your texas hail sounds a lot bigger! That hail sounded like it was coming through the roof
Please, make a movie review of Les Cinq Diables (The Five Devils). It was first screened at Cannes in 2022.
I haven't laughed so hard with a movie since There is something about Mary.
First two major locations I thought were very promising but everything from the forest afterward was a farce. The theater sequence was Usual Suspects level of "what was the fucking point of that?" Everything at the house was incredibly long-winded and isolating for being so bizarre. For the end arena I was just waiting for it to end.
Happy to see Beadle Russell from The Wire working again though.
Your critique of the movie around 3:00 mark is really well put
@@maxwelllegere1483 there is definitely some Freud psychosexual psychology baked into the film
I think she absolutely nailed it. I feel the same way in that well in a few words.. it couldve been better. Visually its stunning and the acting is superb but like she said by the end it feels hollow and repetitive with no grand emotional conclusion even tho the end is a grand finale
The hailing was a brilliant touch!
The imagery and score were spectacular
Kubrick divided people give it some time the squares will come around
Beau Is Afraid is like the Truman show meets David Lynchs Eraserhead.I saw it and liked it.But this movie is not for the average filmgoer.
I want to see it so bad but it's not playing anywhere near me in Naples, FL. that summary makes me want to see it so much more
It kinda reminded me of Mother from Aronofsky in a way
You said in your review that you've seen the themes in this movie presented better in other movies. Having not seen this movie yet, I see it tomorrow, what other movies in your opinion, depicted the ideas better? Thanks :)
I liked this film more than I thought I would. I found it immersive and like a nightmare.
Thank you, deepfocuslens.
I left after less than an hour because I wasn’t feeing that great but also I wasn’t that engaged.
He was trying to do too much at once imo. Too heavy handed. I kept thinking about Fellini’s 8 1/2 which felt so genuine to me in comparison. Or maybe it’s just that catholic guilt resonates more for me ?
Holy shit what an experience this movie was.
Just like midsommer and hereditary this movie is gonna stay with me for years.. and that’s just not something I can say about a of movies lately.
This isn’t a film about an overbearing mother. This film is largely a critique of imperialism. The movie is slightly bloated and unwieldy at times but still very thrilling thematically. This film has a lot to say and is very cutting, many of the clues are given through visual cues. The poster behind the police officer in the first act is one glaring example, but the messaging is rife throughout 🎉🎉🎉
I honest think he had like 20 movie ideas (not developed, just conceot), then he got offered 35mil and knew this was probably the largest budget he was ever going to get for an indy film that he had full control over; so he just did all these ideas together and connected them with one character
I definitely need to know what you think of this because the trailer does not trail me to like it!
Love your reviews. Do you ever do livestreams?
Thanks! On Patreon, we do live watch parties.
Have to agree with his 3rd acts, I actually struggle more with hereditarily than midsommar.
cant find one comment that says shes beautiful,she is.
The third act must never fail to be considered a good movie. This is the fatal error on this film. Hereditary is a masterpiece, Midsommar is quiet good for me, but this movie was a great disappoint. By the way, great channel 👌🏼👌🏼🎥🎥
You should finally review a Kobayashi joint especially Kwaidan or Harakiri
I watched it yesterday at 7 and I’m still tripped out
Completely unrelated, but I found your Doppelgänger. You look exactly like this Turkish supermodel called Melissa Aydinalp
If you really do reviews within hours of watching a film u are one smart cookie
3:14 You've seen done it better. Just saying... this would be a great time to throw up some bullet points on a few movies (footnotes in editing) for those us who value your opinion and how you weigh your critiques in relation to other films. If they're later in the video, then disregard.
From what I've seen of Aster, I think his feature films are above average, but not phenomenal. Your review doesn't subvert that expectation either.
I think Aster is trying to make a statement about studio interference and control on movies. We already know A24 gives their filmmakers a lot of creative freedom and they gave Aster a big budget for this one. The ending is so ridiculous that the film itself becomes a satire of how other studios would not allow something like this to be made. It’s like Aster is intentionally sabotaging his own movie to show a directors indulgence and explain why most of the studios interfere in the first place. That’s what I took away from it.
I can’t help but feel this is a take on American society’s uncomfortable relationship with sex and violence. The violence is normal and if you are scared of it there is some sort of problem with you while having sex can/should (in some circles) end your life as you know it.
The ending also fell flat and was unnecessary. Some audiences have thought it was a bad Truman Show because of that last scene. The last 10 minutes of the movie could've been cut entirely.
No matter how others dance around it... this movie failed badly. Basically a projectile vomit tsunami of mommy issues. So the updated scoreboard: Aster: 3 films. 3 bad endings... and his films are getting worse, not better.