MOVIE REVIEW: BEAU IS AFRAID

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

Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Patti LuPone, Nathan Lane, Amy Ryan, Kylie Rogers, Parker Posey, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Hayley Squires, Michael Gandolfini, Zoe Lister-Jones, Richard Kind

Release Date: April 21, 2023

Genre: Comedy, Drama,Horror

Rated R for strong violent content, sexual content, graphic nudity, drug use and language.

Runtime: 2h 59m

Review:

Ari Aster's absurdist waking nightmare Beau is Afraid is the type of film that's guaranteed to divide people for a variety of reasons.  Aster creates a massive metaphorical hellscape peppered with every different type of anxiety imaginable.  Needless to say it's a behemoth of story that will take an insane amount of time to digest what's being splattered onscreen at any given moment.  What's even more surprising is the amount of dark humor that is peppered throughout its rather expansive runtime.  Joaquin Phoenix carries the film as the tragic soul who embarks on this twisted hero's journey.  Phoenix is the perfect type of actor to take on such a massive undertaking.  His character is a collection of anxiety riddled sadness and failures made human thanks to Phoenix's sublime performance.  Its an impressive performance that rarely falters even in the face of the increasingly bizarre and fantastical elements come into play.  Nathan Lane, Amy Ryan and Kylie Rogers get a large chunk of screen time in one of the film's earlier chapters with all three doing solid work with Rogers proving just as capable as the veteran actors.  Patti LuPone and Zoe Lister-Jones make for an impressive one two punch as the older and younger versions of Beau's mother with each leaving their scathing mark on the film.  Parker Posey and Richard Kind have smaller supporting roles but they both make the most of their screen time.  The performances are strong across the board but its style and structure make it Aster's least accessible film since it rarely, if ever, plays on a literal plane opting for something more abstract.  There will be a variety of ways to dissect what the film is all about from a bevy of viewpoints for those who are willing to engage in its collected insanity.  Beau is Afraid isn't going to be for everyone but those allow themselves to take the journey will find plenty to ponder about long after the film is over.  

B

MOVIE REVIEW: MIDSOMMAR

With their relationship in trouble, a young American couple travel to a fabled Swedish midsummer festival where a seemingly pastoral paradise transforms into a sinister, dread-soaked nightmare as the locals reveal their terrifying agenda.

Director: Ari Aster

Cast: Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor, William Jackson Harper, Vilhelm Blomgren, Will Poulter

Release Date: July 3, 2019
Genre: Drama, Horror, Mystery

Rated R for disturbing ritualistic violence and grisly images, strong sexual content, graphic nudity, drug use and language

Runtime: 2 h 27 min

Review:

Midsommar, Ari Aster’s 2^nd film, is a singular movie watching experience.  It’s the type of film that’ll stick with you for a long while afterward.  Aster’s direction is self assured and methodical while never being boring even with the film’s glacial pace.  There’s a steady sense of dread from the outset and it never really lets up throughout the better part of the film.  While this film isn’t quite as strong in the horror category as Hereditary was its still filled with plenty of starkly bleak imagery and iconography.  At its center is Florence Pugh who carries the film and elevates some of the weaker portions of the film’s plot.  Pugh’s ability to emote pain and grief comes through the screen which some of the film’s more trippy sequences all the more powerful.  As for those hallucinatory sequences they are some of the most discombobulating and outright weird sequences I’ve seen on film.  It's easy to compare Midsommar to the original Wicker Man, it does share various similarities with that film, but ultimately it’s it own wonderfully weird amalgam of that film and the 1981 film Possession, destined to become a cult classic in it's own right.

A-

MOVIE REVIEW: HEREDITARY

When Ellen passes away, her daughter's family begins to unravel cryptic and increasingly terrifying secrets about their ancestry. The more they discover, the more they find themselves trying to outrun the sinister fate they seem to have inherited. 

Director: Ari Aster

Cast: Toni Collette, Alex Wolff, Milly Shapiro, Ann Dowd, Gabriel Byrne

Rated R for horror violence, disturbing images, language, drug use and brief graphic nudity

Genres: Drama, Horror, Mystery

Runtime: 2h 7min

Review:

Hereditary is a classic horror film fans dream.  Ari Aster, who wrote and directs, is clearly a fan of 70’s and 80’s horror films and he mines a handful of tropes to deliver an emotionally mature and nerve grinding experience.  Aster’s film is a slow burn decent into madness.  It’s efficient and effective as it sets up the film’s plot by dropping tidbits of information here and there.  It demands the audience’s attention, asking them to pay close attention to little details.  At its center is Toni Collette who delivers an incredible performance.  Collette gives the kind of performance that’s sure to join the annals of horror performances like Jack Nicholson in The Shining or Mia Farrow in Rosemary’s Baby.   Milly Shapiro fills the creepy kid quotient leaving an impression in a limited performance.  Gabriel Byrne is appropriately worried throughout while Alex Wolff is increasingly terrorized.  Hereditary is one of those films that linger with you after you leave the theater, usually the hallmark of the best kind of horror films.

A-