A Paradox of Parental Paranoia (original) (raw)

Beau Is Afraid – SPOILERS! The title is quite apropos, because the main character, played by Joaquin Phoenix, is indeed afraid, of pretty much everything. If we take things at face value, he’s right to be, as Murphy’s Law is always in effect for him. When he is about to leave for the airport to visit his mother, he oversleeps, his luggage and keys are stolen, people break into his apartment, one of them dies in his doorway, he is harassed by a cop, a crazy naked guy stabs him multiple times, and he is hit by a car. And on top of all that, he hears that his mom has died, and he has to be there for the funeral. He goes on an epic journey of sorts, but the only thing he really learns is that even those who appear friendly at first might not be totally on his side, sort of a recurring theme in Ari Aster’s movies.

He is taken in by a very cheerful couple with some sinister undertones, played by Nathan Lane and Amy Ryan; then watches a play put on by performers living in the woods, which he sees himself in. The play includes animation done by a Japanese company. I will say that the movie had two aspects that I tend to find frustrating: that we never know how much of it actually happened, and that there seems to be no chance for the protagonist to succeed. I’ve seen indications that it might be best to see it as a nightmare of sorts. When Beau finally reaches his mom’s house, he finds out that she faked her death just to make him feel guilty (which he already does all the time), has been recording his therapy sessions, and might be keeping his twin brother and a giant penis monster in her attic (again, see the part about never being sure what’s real). She’s made him terrified of the world, but is also mad at him because he refuses to make decisions, a pretty much impossible position for him. My situation isn’t quite the same, but I definitely sympathize with him. And there are indications that she’s controlling him in even more direct ways. While I didn’t notice all of this myself, apparently his mom’s company designed the derelict building where he lives, and its logo shows up constantly throughout the film. Even the couple who take him are apparently working for his mom, and there are frequent mentions that he is being tested, with no indication as to how he could possibly pass said tests. If she has THAT much control and is STILL disappointed in Beau, that says a lot about how paradoxical his situation is. Patty Lupone plays Beau’s mom, and since she’s known for yelling at people, I guess that makes sense. The movie is also funny, but in a way that there’s usually something unsettling beneath the jokes, although sometimes it’s just a bit of silliness in the background. A warning about spiders includes a quote by Winston Churchill, funeral catering is provided by Shiva Steve’s Grub for the Grieved, one of the lines in a mostly pretentiously poetic play is something like, “She becomes pregnant, because you had sex with her,” and a brief glimpse of the stage reveals that there’s a robot in it. The way Beau’s mom is supposed to have died, hit in the head by a falling chandelier, is also comically absurd. I noticed that the Supertramp song “Goodbye Stranger,” which is used in the trailer, is not in the film itself. It does, however, imply a Freudian interpretation to Mariah Carey’s “Always Be My Baby.” It’s a weird and sometimes uncomfortable movie that’s stuck with me.

This entry was posted in Dreams, Families, Humor, Monsters, Music, Plays, Relationships, VoVat Goes to the Movies and tagged amy ryan, ari aster, beau is afraid, guilt, joaquin phoenix, mariah carey, mental illness, nathan lane, patty lupone, supertramp, winston churchill. Bookmark the permalink.