Beau Is Afraid [Blu-Ray]

Director: Ari Aster

Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Nathan Lane, Patti LuPone

Release Date: July 11, 2023

A Review By: Kevin Lovell

Film Rating: 7/10
Disc Rating: 7/10

Synopsis:

A paranoid man embarks on an epic odyssey to get home to his mother in this bold and ingeniously depraved new film from writer/director Ari Aster.

Please Note: Lionsgate Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Post. The opinions I share are my own.

‘Beau Is Afraid’ tells the peculiar tale of an overly paranoid man who has plans to go home and visit his mother, but as he prepares to depart quickly finds himself threatened by numerous terrifying concerns that prevent him from having the courage to leave. Shortly thereafter he receives word that his mother has passed and that she has requested his presence before being put to rest. Refusing to let her down in this final wish, the man embarks on a strange and almost psychedelic-like journey in an attempt to get home, but this odyssey will be anything but simple and straight-forward, and almost nothing appears to be what it seems.

Written and directed by Ari Aster (Midsommar, Hereditary) who does a solid job at the helm of ‘Beau Is Afraid’ guiding along the wild, visually gorgeous and incredibly strange tale with passion and style. The film’s cast includes Joaquin Phoenix (Joker), Nathan Lane (TV’s Only Murders in the Building), Patti LuPone (TV’s American Horror Story), Parker Posey (Scream 3), Amy Ryan (Gone Baby Gone) and more with the majority offering capable and appropriately strange performances for the most part in each of their respective roles, particularly Phoenix who is absolutely outstanding in the lead.

‘Beau Is Afraid’ is a beautifully crafted, impeccably acted and gorgeously detailed odyssey into uncertainty and one man’s struggle to overcome his fears in order to make his mother proud. While the film has a lot going for it including an undeniably unique style, tone and collection of visuals that will leave the viewer feeling as out of sorts as the lead we accompany, but to say it becomes nonsensical, overly complex and confusing along the way would almost be an understatement. It does a marvelous job of delivering an odd and truly unique type of acid-trip journey that will keep you scratching your head throughout, and it excels at the odd and absurd every step of the way, but don’t expect any clear resolution or explanation as it progresses because while some elements are explained to a degree, as a whole it only ends up being more confusing and difficult to make sense of by its conclusion than it was at the onset.

Those that enjoy offbeat and strange films as a whole should probably at least have a lot of fun with ‘Beau Is Afraid’ and will appreciate just how gorgeously crafted it is just as I did, especially if you don’t try to piece it all together and just let it take you for the mind-spinning ride it does. Ari Aster’s complex narrative and immensely strange, yet eerily beautiful twists, turns and visuals are definitely to be commended, as is the truly impressive performance by lead Joaquin Phoenix who thoroughly embodies Beau and allows the viewer to feel for his struggle and pain throughout which both help to make this one quite memorable.

Overall, ‘Beau Is Afraid’ takes viewers on a delightfully strange, offbeat and at times quite disturbing journey into chaos that all revolves around one man’s quest to get home but is repeatedly caught up, delayed or placed in danger in one manner or another making his already difficult journey that much more of a struggle. It’s an odd film that never really comes together with any logical or clear resolution or answers and somehow manages to only become more confusing and strange as it progresses, but the impeccable care put in to every element of it and a powerhouse performance by Joaquin Phoenix allow it to still evolve into something relatively special in many respects; at least as long as you don’t try to make too much sense of it all. ‘Beau Is Afraid’ is recommended for those that enjoy odd movies that take you on a wild ride without any clear cut logic or resolution to be found within, but more casual moviegoers will probably struggle with just how strange and nonsensical this one is.

VIDEO:

The Blu-ray release of ‘Beau Is Afraid’ features a full 1080p High Definition presentation with the film’s original 1.85:1 Aspect Ratio. The video presentation looks marvelous as a whole and delivers a clean, sharp and richly detailed presentation that showcases impressive detail and vibrant colors without any issues or concerns to be uncovered along the way. It shows great detail and clarity in everything from the more enclosed sequences within buildings and Beau’s apartment to the more expansive outdoor sequences and backgrounds which always look impeccably sharp and detailed, as do character faces, clothing and nearly everything else featured onscreen along the way. Overall, this is a wonderful high definition video presentation that should easily satisfy fans and first time viewers alike.

AUDIO:

The Blu-ray release features a 5.1 channel DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack. This multichannel soundtrack is a treat in itself and it provides a clean, crisp and at times notably hard hitting audio presentation throughout that contributes nicely to the tone and uncertainty of the tale and our lead’s journey. It takes advantage of all five available channels at every reasonable opportunity in order to send a few random and creepy noises and effects, along with crowd chatter, nature content and plenty more throughout the various speakers, while never allowing any dialogue or other audio elements that might be occurring simultaneously to become distorted or rendered inaudible in the process. Overall, this is a great 5.1 DTS-HD MA soundtrack that delivers admirably every step of the way and should easily please.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The Blu-ray release of ‘Beau Is Afraid’ includes one extra, the Behind the Scenes Featurette ‘Finally Home: Making Beau Is Afraid’ (running approximately 16 minutes in length) which explores bringing the film to life and includes interviews/comments with the cast and crew, plus behind the scenes footage and more.

*Please note that the above images are taken from the Blu-Ray and resized. They will additionally suffer quality loss as a result of .jpg compression. Larger versions of each image can be viewed by clicking on the image. All images and content included on this Blu-Ray release are the property of their respective owners.

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Film Rating: 7/10
Disc Rating: 7/10

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‘Beau Is Afraid’ is Now Available to Own on Blu-ray, DVD & Digital from A24 & Lionsgate

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