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Beau Is Afraid

  • 2023
  • R
  • 2h 59m
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
17K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
32
2
Joaquin Phoenix and Armen Nahapetian in Beau Is Afraid (2023)
In theaters April 21.
Play trailer0:46
8 Videos
36 Photos
ComedyDramaHorror

Following the sudden death of his mother, a mild-mannered but anxiety-ridden man confronts his darkest fears as he embarks on an epic, Kafkaesque odyssey back home.Following the sudden death of his mother, a mild-mannered but anxiety-ridden man confronts his darkest fears as he embarks on an epic, Kafkaesque odyssey back home.Following the sudden death of his mother, a mild-mannered but anxiety-ridden man confronts his darkest fears as he embarks on an epic, Kafkaesque odyssey back home.

  • Director
    • Ari Aster
  • Writer
    • Ari Aster
  • Stars
    • Joaquin Phoenix
    • Patti LuPone
    • Amy Ryan
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    7.1/10
    17K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    32
    2
    • Director
      • Ari Aster
    • Writer
      • Ari Aster
    • Stars
      • Joaquin Phoenix
      • Patti LuPone
      • Amy Ryan
    • 162User reviews
    • 182Critic reviews
    • 63Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Videos8

    Beau Is Afraid Offical Trailer 2
    Trailer 0:46
    Watch Beau Is Afraid Offical Trailer 2
    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:25
    Watch Official Trailer
    Beau Is Afraid
    Trailer 0:46
    Watch Beau Is Afraid
    Beau Is Afraid
    Trailer 2:25
    Watch Beau Is Afraid
    First Look Featurette
    Featurette 1:13
    Watch First Look Featurette
    Beau Is Afraid
    Featurette 1:13
    Watch Beau Is Afraid
    Beau Is Afraid: Detras De Las Camaras (Spanish/Spain Featurette Subtitled)
    Featurette 1:13
    Watch Beau Is Afraid: Detras De Las Camaras (Spanish/Spain Featurette Subtitled)
    Beau Is Afraid: First Look (Behind The Scenes)
    Featurette 1:13
    Watch Beau Is Afraid: First Look (Behind The Scenes)

    Photos36

    Joaquin Phoenix in Beau Is Afraid (2023)
    Zoe Lister-Jones and Armen Nahapetian in Beau Is Afraid (2023)
    Joaquin Phoenix in Beau Is Afraid (2023)
    Nathan Lane, Joaquin Phoenix, and Amy Ryan in Beau Is Afraid (2023)
    Joaquin Phoenix in Beau Is Afraid (2023)
    Nathan Lane in Beau Is Afraid (2023)
    Parker Posey in Beau Is Afraid (2023)
    Joaquin Phoenix in Beau Is Afraid (2023)
    Joaquin Phoenix in Beau Is Afraid (2023)
    Joaquin Phoenix in Beau Is Afraid (2023)
    Joaquin Phoenix and Ari Aster in Beau Is Afraid (2023)
    Harry Shum Jr. and Daniel Kwan at an event for Beau Is Afraid (2023)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Joaquin Phoenix
    Joaquin Phoenix
    • Beau Wassermann
    Patti LuPone
    Patti LuPone
    • Mona Wassermann
    Amy Ryan
    Amy Ryan
    • Grace
    Nathan Lane
    Nathan Lane
    • Roger
    Kylie Rogers
    Kylie Rogers
    • Toni
    Denis Ménochet
    Denis Ménochet
    • Jeeves
    Parker Posey
    Parker Posey
    • Elaine Bray
    Zoe Lister-Jones
    Zoe Lister-Jones
    • Young Mona
    Armen Nahapetian
    Armen Nahapetian
    • Teen Beau
    Julia Antonelli
    Julia Antonelli
    • Teen Elaine
    Stephen McKinley Henderson
    Stephen McKinley Henderson
    • Therapist
    Richard Kind
    Richard Kind
    • Dr. Cohen
    Hayley Squires
    Hayley Squires
    • Penelope
    Julian Richings
    Julian Richings
    • Strange Man
    Bill Hader
    Bill Hader
    • UPS Guy
    Alicia Rosario
    Alicia Rosario
    • Liz
    James Cvetkovski
    James Cvetkovski
    • Boy Beau
    Catherine Bérubé
    Catherine Bérubé
    • Hero Beau's Wife
    • Director
      • Ari Aster
    • Writer
      • Ari Aster
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      On April 1, 2023, Ari Aster and A24 pulled what was characterized as an April Fools' Day prank on a movie audience at New York's Alamo Drafthouse. Though they had purchased tickets for a special showing of the director's cut of Aster's 2019 horror film Midsommar (2019), Aster, instead, screened an unannounced preview of "Beau Is Afraid", about a month before its actual opening date.
    • Quotes

      Angel: Yes, push forward. Pray that you learn valor and be given luck. You will walk many miles. Dozens will become hundreds. Hundreds will become thousands. You will pass through countless villages. But finally, one village will speak to you. Some deep, essential part of you will recognize it, and you will say "This village is mine." You will learn a trade. And eventually, earn a living. You will know the pleasure of tasting fruit and bread and wine that is yours because you have earned it. You will find a plot of land and build a house with your own hands. You will cultivate the land. You will live off it. You will come to make new friends. One day, you will meet a woman. The story of your meeting will change, according to who tells it; that you were lost, that she helped you find your way, or that she was off course and you guided her home. She will see your fears and your pain and your dreams and your potential. And you will see hers. In finding your other half, the gifts of your life will multiply. Sometimes, she will look like a man to you. She will become pregnant because you have sex with her. You will have children, three sons. You will teach them what you know and you will tell them you love them every day. They will grow into handsome boys, blessed with courage and kindness and ambition. You will share your feelings of pride with your therapist. He will archive them. One day, a historic storm will sweep through your village and destroy your home. You will be carried away by a great flood. You and your family will be separated. And you will be deposited in a strange country. You will look for your family for days, then weeks, then months. So many months that you will come to lose count, but you will not find them. You will try to find work to support your continuing search but no one will speak your language. You will be treated like a criminal. Eventually, you will come upon a village wracked by an inexplicable plague. As you pass through, a man deranged by tragedy will identify you as the beast who burned down his home and replaced his children's feet with their hands. You will try to argue your innocence, but this will only make you sound more guilty. You will wonder yourself whether you are guilty. You will flee. Mad with vengeance, they will send an attack dog to pursue you. It will tear through the world to find you. You won't know this, but you will sense it. And you will keep a detailed record of these impressions in a log, and over time this log will become many logs. Your adventures will continue for years and years. You will learn to distinguish birds by their call and you will know every tree and plant by its name. Abandoning all comforts, you will condition your mind to new ways of seeing. You will experience great highs and profound lows, and you will look for your family until your life shrinks and fades into the dream of a ghost. You will come to wonder if they ever existed. Finally, when you are old and frail, you will collapse in exhaustion.

    • Crazy credits
      The end credits roll all throughout the last scene.
    • Connections
      Referenced in Film Threat: SISU IS HERE TO KICK A$$!!! + HOLLYWOOD ON THE ROCKS IS CANCELED! - Hollywood on the Rocks (2023)

    User reviews162

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    7/10
    An Incredible Experience I Will Always Struggle to Recommend
    I truly don't know where to start with this one. I've become a fan of director Ari Aster. Hereditary and Midsommar are both great movies in my opinion, even though they're not for everyone. He has shown that his style is very much out there and he just does whatever he wants. I admire that in a filmmaker, so I was eagerly awaiting his next outing, Beau is Afraid. Well, it's now playing in theatres and I think it's Aster's best and worst work to date. There's no denying this film is brilliantly well-made, but the actual presentation (story wise) downright baffled me, in good and bad ways. Here's why I really enjoyed watching it, even though it will never be a film I recommend.

    Joaquin Phoenix plays Beau, a man with an insane amount of anxiety. On the anniversary of his father's death, he has a plane ticket back home to visit his mother. Things prevent him from making his flight, which in turn leads to him slowly finding his way home anyways. That's the premise in a nutshell, but many other storylines are present as well. From confronting his demons through stage plays, crazy visuals, flashbacks, and some very creative practical effect work, Beau is Afraid is definitely one of the most unique films I've seen in a while. I loved watching this film, but didn't love it as a film overall.

    The best way I can explain how much I actually liked it is to say that I think it's a 5-star film on a filmmaking level, but about a 2-star film when it comes down to how effective the story is. I was eating up everything this film was giving me. My jaw was on the floor from how they pulled off certain sequences. I just wish the story became more clear by the end. I was very engaged, but even when the film felt like it was delivering answers, they also felt far too vague. The film plays as if it's giving you all the answers, but I was well aware it wasn't. I never felt frustrated while watching it, because I was loving the journey, but afterwards, I really had to think about whether or not the experience was enough for me. It was, but I have to admit it's not a great movie as a whole.

    Beau is Afriad isn't afraid to go all out in every scene. The studio that made this film (A24) also funded it as one of their most expensive films to date. The budget is used to its fullest potential here and the effort leaps off the screen. It's weird, visually stunning, and Phoenix's lead performance is stellar. Other than those aspects though, I was underwhelmed by the story. Still, if you're a film buff who likes to watch all movies, I recommend it, but to any casual viewer, I would say stay far, far away, it's probably not for you. It's a fantastic film to look at and follow along with, but it's simply not great otherwise in my opinion.
    helpful•94
    14
    • kjproulx
    • Apr 25, 2023

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    24 Frames: Striking Images from A24 Films

    24 Frames: Striking Images from A24 Films

    Beau Is Afraid, The Green Knight, and more striking images from A24 studio's films.
    See the gallery
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    Photos

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 21, 2023 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United States
      • United Kingdom
      • Finland
      • Canada
    • Official site
      • Official A24
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Disappointment Blvd.
    • Filming locations
      • Montréal, Québec, Canada
    • Production companies
      • A24
      • Access Entertainment
      • IPR.VC
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $35,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $8,413,807
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $2,661,957
      • Apr 16, 2023
    • Gross worldwide
      • $10,725,033
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 59 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
      • IMAX 6-Track
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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