Beau is Afraid

2023. 179 m. Ari Aster. A24. US. English. Rated R.

Series

From writer-director Ari Aster comes a delirious journey into the unknown from one of the most inventive cinematic minds working today: the story of a man (Joaquin Phoenix) who sets out to visit his mother and discovers a world of malevolent forces and unseen eyes tracking his every move. Dense with meaning and aimed squarely at confronting the emotional chaos and collective uncertainty of our present day, Beau is Afraid follows one man’s odyssey through the depths of the end of history, finding horror and humor at every turn.

In anticipation of the premiere of Eddington on July 18, the JBFC presents Ari Aster’s World. Between July 11 and July 16, revisit Ari Aster’s groundbreaking career so far with Hereditary, Midsommar, and Beau is Afraid.

Tickets: $11 (members), $16 (nonmembers)

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"Beau Is Afraid is very much a black comedy that utilizes well-placed horror techniques–Aster has a solid command of tension and loves to swing his camera to and fro to create a sense of vulnerability. Aster’s direction and sense of humor, the latter of which emerged more prominently in Midsommar, just seem more at home in a comedy."
Brianna Zigler, Paste

"Few movies have ever so boldly explored how fraught the safety of unconditional love can be in such a cruel world, and even fewer—including Aster’s own Hereditary—have been so willing to sit with the irreconcilable horrors of trying to share that love with someone else."
David Ehrlich, IndieWire