Horror Movie Review: Beau Is Afraid (2023)

“You know what I say when I’m asked how my son’s doing? I say ‘Your guess is as good as mine!’”

Beau Is Afraid is a 2023 American surrealist tragicomedy horror film written, directed, and co-produced by Ari Aster. The film stars Joaquin Phoenix as the title character, Beau Wassermann.

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. 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, 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. They 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. He 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, committing suicide. 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.

What madness will follow Beau on his journey to his mother? Watch and find out.

Beau Is Afraid is a surrealist feast for the eyes. A film that will truly take you through the entire spectrum of human emotion. You will feel fear, trauma, elation, depression, nostalgia, amongst laughter and deep thought.

A tense movie that gave me second hand trauma. It sparked a thought provoking conversation about generational trauma and how you can be as flawed as the people who raise you. Although perspective is everything and there are reasons why people are the way they are, often ones you wouldn’t expect. But are we really victims of fate, maybe we can take control of our journey and try to do better.

Joaquin Phoenix is incredible. He really goes all in with his performance and makes you feel every ounce of emotion. Overall, everyone acts fantastically and helps carry the movie over the line from great to top tier.

In spite of its length, I felt engrossed and entertained throughout. I had no clue what was coming next and every scene was unpredictable. As Nicolas Cage says, if a performance makes you feel something then they’ve done their job. And this film made me feel everything.

Overall, Beau Is Afraid is a wild and traumatic journey filled with the maddest and saddest moments I’ve ever seen on film. My only negatives are some small convoluted moments and some overly artsy bits here and there. But on the whole I was fully along for the ride.