The discourse behind Beau is Afraid has been interesting to say the least. Being director Ari Aster's first film since Midsommar, the director seems to have delivered another polarising watch that's sure to garner many opinions. The first reviews for the film itself see some praising the brilliance of it while many others find it to be tedious and boring. However, Joaquin Phoenix's performance was pointed out as a highlight. Here are some of the reviews for Beau is Afraid. Beau Is Afraid Trailer Out! Joaquin Phoenix's Horror-Comedy Helmed by Ari Aster Arrives This April in Theatres (Watch Video).

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The Guardian: There are admittedly some of the interesting time-lapse hard cuts of the sort Aster gave us in Hereditary, switching from night to day and back. There are also laughs to be had with the giant monster Beau encounters in the attic, and what appears to be a reference to Bette Davis. But this happens at a time when the film seems to be asking us to take it seriously and sign up to its supposed sexual and emotional climax – to which we have had a three-hour run-up. There is nothing there: Beau may well be afraid, but the audience might be feeling otherwise.

DiscussingFilm: Beau Is Afraid is Ari Aster operating on a whole new level. For all that may or may not work in the end, you’re left with a strong appreciation for Aster’s sheer filmmaking prowess. Obviously, this won’t be enough for some moviegoers as Beau Is Afraid will test their patience. But it’s hard to not admire some of this film’s merits when Joaquin Phoenix is yet again giving all of himself on-screen while Aster’s frequent cinematographer Pawel Pogorzelski (Fresh) outdoes himself with sleek and epic visuals that never lose their sense of dread.

The Verge: Beau Is Afraid is so distinct from Aster’s other films and ends on such a bewildering note that it’s more than likely to throw quite a few people for loops they aren’t expecting. But even as it’s spiraling in its final moments, and raising more questions than it ever feels interested in answering, there’s a mesmerizing, captivating quality to it all that makes it hard not to get drawn into the strangeness of Aster’s vision.

Time Magazine: Beau Is Afraid is stylish all right—Aster can’t stay away from style. Groovy low-angle shots, dream sequences rendered in wacky point-of-view perspectives, dreamlike vistas of dark water shot in glimmering light: Aster borrows from the best (Martin Scorsese, Ingmar Bergman) and the worst (Gaspar Noé) in this belabored work of slapstick agony. It’s the most magnificent act of oversharing you’ll see all year, a banquet of all the TMI you can eat, just for the price of a ticket. Though when you think about it, shouldn’t Aster be paying us?

 

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 11, 2023 12:28 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).