Following the sudden death of his mother, a mild-mannered but anxiety-ridden man confronts his darkest fears as he embarks on an epic odyssey back home.
Where to Watch Beau Is Afraid
- DavidBunnyDadJuly 13, 2026A great film. Ari Aster's modern-day Homeric odyssey tracks a tortured man's journey to return home in time for his mother's funeral. Along the way we get glimpses into the unfathomable harm this woman has inflicted on her son, spectacularly played by the great Joaquin Phoenix. Anyone who's visited downtown Los Angeles in recent years will recognize that Aster's depiction of the violent, cacophonous urban hellscape Beau lives in (highlighted by ``Birthday Stabbing Man,'' a crazed naked lunatic who randomly attacks passersby with a knife) is far closer to reality than most people would care to admit. The rest of Aster's film departs from reality on a wonderful rocketship to crazyland. Fans of freakout, head-trip cinema should be in heaven watching this thing. It's like Franz Kafka has sex with Charlie Kaufman while David Lynch was watching.
- Garrett WilkinsJune 5, 2026As an A24 production, Beau Is Afraid feels right at home alongside the studio's most unconventional releases. Ari Aster fully embraces the company's tendency to abandon traditional storytelling rules in favor of something stranger, more personal, and considerably more divisive. While I ultimately found Midsommar to be the stronger and more focused film, there's no denying the ambition on display here. At over three hours, Beau Is Afraid is messy, excessive, self-indulgent, and often completely fascinating. Joaquin Phoenix delivers one of the best performances of his career, carrying the film's relentless anxiety with a level of commitment that makes even its most absurd moments believable. Patti LuPone is equally excellent as Beau's domineering mother, while Parker Posey leaves a surprisingly strong impression despite her relatively limited screen time. Whether a scene is hilarious, uncomfortable, or completely baffling, the cast never stops treating the material with absolute sincerity. I can't honestly say Beau Is Afraid works all the time. There are stretches where the film disappears so far into its own nightmare logic that it risks losing the audience entirely, and some of Aster's ideas are more interesting than they are effective. Yet I found it impossible not to admire. In an era where so many films feel engineered to appeal to everyone, Beau Is Afraid feels determined to appeal to exactly the people willing to meet it on its own terms. It's the kind of ambitious, uncompromising project that only a studio like A24 would consistently champion. Aster takes an enormous swing, and while it doesn't always connect, I found the film's originality and willingness to reject convention far more memorable than many technically cleaner movies that play things safe.
- Oʂɯαʅԃσ RσყҽƚƚDecember 25, 2025Beau is Afraid demands us to see it again. It basically screams to be rewatched, paused, rewound, dissected, and examined. The brilliance of writer and director Ari Aster is that these repeat viewings will never ever help you get this movie. It's never going to click and magically make sense - going back to the well will only deepen your appreciation for the craft of the film.
- cultfilmlikerJuly 29, 2025*me, last year, ignorant* ⭐️⭐️ *me, this year, enlightened* ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (It’s still too long) Yeah the dude on the cruise is insanely creepy. Great acting! Great cast! Love the young actress essentially playing Parker Posey in Dazed & Confused! Someone needs to ask Ari what happened in his attic when he was a kid
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Beau Is Afraid was released on April 20, 2023.
Beau Is Afraid was directed by Ari Aster.
Beau Is Afraid has a runtime of 2h 59m.
Beau Is Afraid was produced by Ari Aster, Lars Knudsen.
Following the sudden death of his mother, a mild-mannered but anxiety-ridden man confronts his darkest fears as he embarks on an epic odyssey back home.
The key characters in Beau Is Afraid are Beau Wassermann (Joaquin Phoenix), Mona Wassermann (Patti LuPone), Grace (Amy Ryan).
Beau Is Afraid is rated R.
Beau Is Afraid is a Comedy, Drama, Horror film.
Beau Is Afraid has an audience rating of 7.1 out of 10.
Beau Is Afraid had a budget of $35M.
Beau Is Afraid has made $12.3M at the box office.