Don't Let Ari Aster Cook Anymore (Beau Is Afraid) 

Any time a critic advocates for more studio control I have to dismiss their opinion. Leave the art to the artists. Whether it makes the product worse or not is irrelevant. Allowing the new generation of directors to experiment and grow is essential for the future of film.

Do let ari cook because this is not a movie that comes out every other year. It’s original thank god and we probably won’t see one like this again 😂

I love how cinephiles call movies like this pretentious but when they review said movies, they use a bunch of verbose adjectives and idioms to sound super smart and sophisticated. You’re giving a review, not writing a film school essay.

This is the problem the audience always has with surrealism, they want a neat ending that ties everything together. The film was about the journey and not so much the destination.

Incredible film. Never been more emotionally engaged, the quarter-filled theater was more audible than most of my more crowded experiences (of other films). I am not sure how to fully articulate my appreciation of it. It was like being in on an inside joke, on a clinical level. You say the neurosis was detrimental, but I think it was as personal as an artist should be. This "expensive therapy session," narrative being thrown around is such a lame reduction of everything. It's like taking shrooms and then criticizing the shrooms for making you talk to a tree.

I think you should let ari aster do whatever he wants that was a very INTERESTING movie to watch..

I think it's so interesting how varied people's opinions are concerning this movie's high points and low points. I actually liked the final act more than the act which took us through the play. In fact, I'd say the play (animated sequence) was definitely my least favorite part. I think a bit more appreciation should be lended to the final act, because his relationship with his mother illustrates a very real and disturbing mother-son psycho-sexual bond. This relationship is all too true for many young men who find themselves growing up with controlling and manipulative mothers. I think it's quite a unique dichotomy to explore. Her restriction of his sexual proclivities (due to her lies) and her engineering of his entire world (implied by her line where she states that she was waiting for Beau to be afraid enough of the world to come back to her; also fun fact many of her employees in that photo were some of the people in the city and I believe either Rodger or Grace are in there too) are all strategies to make her the most important woman in his life. Always. She never wants that title taken from her, and ensures that Beau will run to her and feel guilty every single time. I think if you viewed it not as trauma-dumping but rather a very odd and disturbingly common relationship between mother and son, you may be able to gain some appreciation for the movie. Beau is born unlucky into the world and seemingly never recovers. He hits his head immediately after birth, born into the sounds of his mother's screaming, and will never escape those clutches, even up until the very end of his life. He still cries out for her, feeling ashamed for mistakes we know he hasn't really made.

dont let this critic cook

“…reaching for my phone for respite” 4:53 this is a comment on you not the film

Don’t let youtube reviewers cook anymore.

Beau: "What? Why?" 🥺 Audience: "What? Why?" 🤨 Repeat. That's the movie

I think Aster made a 3 hour epic about the very notion of studio interference. He has complete creative control and intentionally sabotages his own movie in the final act to explain why many studios think they’re protecting the creators from their worst indulgences when they step in. The monster in the attic is a big middle finger to other studios who don’t allow filmmakers creative freedom. Up until that point the movie was over the top, but that reveal was a major troll by Aster

Lotta ppl don’t like the final act of this film. Idk, I loved it. The auditorium judgement scene reminded me of the Trial a lot, and I liked how the movie ends with Beau begging his mother to help him, kinda showing how she’s won even after her death… don’t wanna spoil too much but the only part where the movie kinda lost me was the attic scene at the end. That was wild, but idk, it’s probably just that Ari Aster has a weird relationship with his cock. 8/10, would watch again after drinking paint with my friends.

I definitely think it's good to look at Ari Aster's previous family-related horror films, like "Munchausen". There are more provocative ones, but they are not easy watches, which seems to be a theme for alot of his horror.

You should want artist to indulge themselves. It's a learning exercise. PTA did this with Magnolia (which is still great) and some years later we got TWBB, The Master and Phantom Thread. Let artists cook, dude.

The first 30 minutes were a pretty realistic depiction of Skid Row in LA

How can you watch a movie like this and think "I hope Aster doesn't make movies anymore"?

I was expecting a cathartic ending, but my hopes sank to the bottom of the sea.

I must say I haven’t seen the movie yet… plan on seeing it.. but your review is well put. I seemingly know exactly what you’re saying

This is the best movie I’ve seen in years. It’s definitely not be for everyone but it is perfect in its weirdness.

This movie reminds me of the movie "the Cell" with Jenifer Lopez..with its so over the top metaphors but so on the nose and obvious, that you can imagine the director sitting right next to you, gasping for air and asking you "Oh did you understand that? Do you know what I meant by that" ..." Yes, Ari..pls go away"

his mother is not just the over protective crocodile mother carrying the baby in her mouth, but she's the archetypal devouring mother, possessive, manipulative, demanding, suffocating to the point of devouring her children's individuality and independence. guilt is the main driving tool of manipulation. his father, his sexual organ, his masculinity, his destiny, a part of himself is locked up in the attic, in such a way that failure to confront makes him regress and fall back down the stairs, where he is literally dragged by doctor guilt back to his mothers feet, kissing them desperately and imploring for forgiveness while promising to be a better son. on one hand she is his always loving mother, a god, but on the other she's a b*itch as the girl referred to both their mothers. on one hand she desperately pities him and on another hates. both being caught in such conflicting dichotomic feelings, he finally attempts to kill her, i'd say in himself, in order to grow out of it, out of this devouring relationship, but rather quickly he stops himself, regresses back to the eternal child always sorry and guilt fills him, as he fails to kill her. but the point is she dies anyway, because sooner or later she inevitably will die. and he's still a child, incompetent, irresponsible, indecisive, shallow, a child who's not only failed to give back the love his mom always demanded and expected but this time he's also failed to end her, get rid of her, grow out an individual "I" and assert himself regardless of her guilt insinuating accusations of ungratefulness. with a traumatized creepy face he takes the boat and sails the waters into the darkness of the night. he is reborn through the vaginal cave back into darkness where his psyche through the internal voices of his consciousness chamber, debate in a fierce court like trial. his defender voice is smaller and smaller ending up "thrown out the window", while his accuser voice closely associated with his mother, guilt, gets louder and louder until it snaps and he's flipped upsides down into the abyss, drowning in the dark waters of unconsciousness. beau has failed on his quest to grow out of the mothers womb, the comfort zone of the apartment, the childish pink room, the fairytale like accepting and nourishing community, culminating in sex as final symbol of maturation which under mothers observant presence ends in utter failure and regression to death, to the wave that wipes the community, the unjust accusation and ruthless wolf breathing on his steps, the chaos of the outside world. beau failed to growUP and is reborn in a new circle of hell. “Behold the secret conspiracy between mother and son, and how each helps the other to betray life. Where does the guilt lie? With the mother, or with the son? Probably with both.” “…the spirit of regression, [which] threatens us with bondage to the mother and with dissolution and extinction in the unconscious. …he hopes to be caught, sucked in, enveloped, and devoured. He seeks, as it were, the protecting, nourishing, charmed circle of the mother, the condition of the infant released from every care. No wonder the real world vanishes from sight” - Carl G. Jung.

I find it kinda hard to argue with your beefs with the film because I think you're being vague to avoid spoilers and unless I'm arguing something about the specifics in the plot itself I can't argue with someone's personal experience of it as satisfying or not satisfying. I will say I would describe what happens in the movie not as a dream or alternate reality but like a manifestation of Beau's psyche given his relationship with his mother. So the absurdity of the film didn't distract me because all I saw it as was manifestation of the characters internal struggle, and without spoilers the 3rd act actually made it make sense to me. The only thing that was "real" was the relationship between Beau and his mother internally. Aster in all 3 films he's made has told a story about a complicated and unsettling family situation that revolves around a death. It's like in Midsommar how at the beginning of the movie the main character's family dies, and the rest of the movie is set in reality (unlike Beau) but bizarre things happen that are symbolic of the characters internal struggle with her grief and desire for love/acceptance.

I liked the 3rd act for how it reveals (or hints at) what was going on with his mother and just pours salt in the wound to the character's weaknesses in a way that was hyperbolic and absurd. I look forward to forgetting this film and watching it again 7-10 years from now.

Nailed it

But it’s so good.

This film lowkey reminded me of Todd Solondz in a way

when you don't do surrealism well is just feels like a disjointed meaningless mess. This was an overly long emotionally exhausting meaningless mess.

"Narcissistic trauma dump" describes at least half of Kafka's oeuvre. The difference may be that readers expect to be challenged, and viewers expect to be entertained.

the ratio on this video makes me feel very validated

I like the “reciprocate” line

BEAUtiful review, always come here post viewings

I find all his films darkly comic with an undercurrent of psychological issues. I didn't find this movie to be departure from horror movie territory. In fact, the opening bits with the madness in the streets outside Beau made me quite scared at times, and the closing act with his mother was also creepy and unsettling, much like his other films.

This movie was made to be the Antithesis for his other 2 movies. I think it's Ari Aster going mask off and saying he doesn't want to be known for slow burn horror films for hipsters That being said, I completely disagree with you on the 3rd act and think you don't get it :3

I heard him say in an interview, that he was no longer doing horror movies.

hey man i liked your opinion im glad you put it out there

Id call this movie close to a masterpiece Almost perfectly blending blunt comedy with extremely symbolic driven emotional messages about trauma and familial bonds that said i could see why many people dont like it , its probably just not their cup of tea and thats totally fine.

During the view I was feeling intrigued, emotionally involved, annoyed by what was going on. After I was exhausted and confused. I didn't really know what feeling I had. The day after I was feeling like I was "missing" that film, the dimension, I was missing Beau, I was missing the story as if it was still going on somewhere. What a strange feeling. This movie truly left something in me. And I want to watch it again. And my opinion is not confused anymore. I can tell for sure that I LOVE Beau Is Afraid.

5:09 - "The final act felt like Aster sloppily spewing his own anxieties and neuroses onto the screen ..." The movie is an exploration of the therapeutic process, so in a way you're not wrong. While I don't know Aster's history, I can't say whether or not the content (as opposed to the plot) of the story is infused with Aster's own issues, I recognized the beats of the story that mirrored procedural milestones (and fears) in receiving therapy and overcoming one's own issues. The "Don't incriminate yourself" note from the house mother reflects the impulse that any therapy patient faces when exposing vulnerability in session. The house family is a skewed reflection of what Beau believes family should be, even down to the hyper-militant super-ego character that chases him through the next stages of his visualized therapeutic process. Each stage of the movie serves as a visual allegory for one coming to terms with his own unrecognized feelings, including the giant ID metaphor that his mother identifies as his father in the attic. Even the end with its abrupt ending appears to be a mystery until you recognize that Beau has moved past his issues, effectively leaving the horrors of his fractured psyche behind while he has moved on through the Jungian waters of emotional baptism. If you can't see it, you can't see it. And that's fine. But I recommend re-watching this film should you ever complete a profound therapeutic session with someone that you trust. You might find bits of it resonating with you more.

This movie ruled.

every kind of film that can be humanely made, should be made

1:20 This reminded me of Synecdoche, NY. Something I’d never want to sit through again 😤

i get what you are saying because the budget was alot and i dont know if it will make it there money back but this movie in my opinion was brilliant and i dont think there will be another movie like this for a lot of reasons. I feel like this movie did need 3 hours also because i thought the pacing was great and you can feel it being 3 hours but you cant keep your eyes of the screen. The story was amazing and it hit me alot because i can relate to it and on top of it, its fucking hilarious. This movie will either be a masterpiece to people or the worst movie they ever seen, those movies start conversations and i think thats what ari wants.

Experimental artsy movies are put into theatre by A24, most audiences won’t like these bc they aren’t movies that have real “endings” and stuff handed to them

The thing I hear when people say is bad isn't that it is bad in a movie like 'the room'. It's that people hate films that are made for a director exclusively

“I got bored during this movie which means the filmmaker was selfishly trauma dumping”

Love the title

I’m not all high and mighty mr movie connoisseur but I definitely sense repetitive and heavy symbolism that weaves a deeper level narrative that holds the story together a lot stronger than you felt it was. I think you sharing that the movie is emotionally draining is an indication of your own failure to really understand it as a piece of art. But at the same time I’ve only watched it once.

Agree.

hereditary being ur fav of the 3 makes alot of sense for not enjoying this film

I appreciate your strong opinion I like hearing differing opinions .. are we sure ari aster wrote this about himself? Or from his therapy sessions? Or is it such an intimate subject that it could only have been written by a man abused my his mother? Or maybe aster is an avid student of psychology who is exploring the oedipus complex and narcissistic abuse by a mother. Sometimes movies that end depressingly are too realistic in that some people’s lives do end in chaos and sadness w no redemption in our actual world. And we only like to go to movies about well rounded heros who always achieve success ? I doubt Ari Astor is worried about mine or your opinion / but here we are nonetheless / he did hit a home run w hereditary / it scared me to my core as an anxious mother of three who wouldn’t dare hurt my kids consciously yet I’m sure they’ve been bruised metaphorically in some ways by being raised by a flawed human … seeing the mother chase her son and then saw off her own head in hereditary just about ended me. Annie became the generational trauma horror that she had tried to protect her children from for so long … can anything be more devastating that the murder of your entire line? No

Love this movie, I thought it was beautiful hilarious and disturbing.

I say let him cook I hate getting predictable movies with topics that are usually covered which I think this movie differs from. Not a clear ending but a brainfuck of a journey that I fucking loved

Don’t let lack of imagination RU-vidrs cook

I thought the movie was bold and different very interesting to me..I think it’s worth the watch

Or the dream sequence in the play is his real life and everything else is illusion.

Is this mike from jim and sam???

People have lost their patience with movies, especially ones like this. You can easily say all of these same things about the 2nd acts of most David Lynch films, but the people who appreciate those films also appreciate the length of them because surrealism and experimental filmmaking often calls for excess to stretch-out and disect simple points, in an inaccessable way. Its done well when its thoroughly entertaining thoughout (even if you don't get it), which I found this movie to be 100%.

lmaoooo the title! TRUE, he's past that, we need to bring him out of himself

Well, that's a shame. I will save this video for after I've managed to watch Beau, but it's a shame to hear that it didn't live up to expectations. I personally thought Midsommar was an absolute masterpiece, so I was very excited to see what he did next. Oh well.

I thought it was pretty cool. I liked it. I watched it three times over three days, and that was real trippy.

0:25 holy sh-he can act like hell with his eyes…

I had not seen Hereditary or Midsommar, so I didn’t really know what to expect. I think the unrelenting cruelty in this movie really left a sour taste in my mouth. There just isn’t a single moment in this movie where Beau isn’t suffering, and it just gets exhausting after three hours. I think if the ending wasn’t so bleak, I’d probably like it a little more. Beau as a character just has no agency whatsoever, things just happen to him. It would have been nice if he went through some semblance of a character arc, but the writer didn’t seem to be interested in that.

I love this movie and think it was smart not to do a film similar to Hereditary and Midsomar. I was so catched by it

You know you can talk normal ? You don't have to use all these Pretentious terms ,its not a graduate thesis, i rolled my eyes so many times, its youtube , relax.

Shit I liked it enough to buy it. I like all his movies (especially hereditary, of course) Beau is afraid might be a cult classic someday

Don’t let this man cook he can buy the food he can set the table but don’t let this man cook ever again lol.

agreed agreed agreed thank you for this critique

Certified bruh moment

It’s grows on you

Pretty great and original movie, not perfect but i enjoyed it thoroughly

I thought the second act was funnier than the first, 3rd act was visually cool and the 4th act I liked until the cock and balls monster lmao

This movie felt like a lucid dream. Most plot points were of little consequence and I would argue that even if you fell asleep through the long run time, you would still leave the theatre with a similar experience because of this. I followed the story keenly and was sad when it was over and much like a dream I don't think I could even properly replicate the experience with a second watch. I honestly don't think Ari Aster knows how to end a film, judging by his previous works too in my opinion, but that does not detract from the art, especially as it is apparent that Aster is an artist who has little regard for plot conventions in the first place. Since when should a movie's end be the goalpost anyway? The director's out of a job once it's over!

this film is as close to what a schizophrenic/ panic attack could be in the visual form . it plays with the imaginative thoughts that might fill the mind of a person going through these scenarios . you don't seem to follow where Ari Aster's mind is trying to portray.. to me, this was pure genius. he crossed all the Ts and dotted all the i's. it was not made to make sense it was made to make you feel the confusion and disillusion. that Beau was confronting. to me this film speaks volumes of what Ari is capable of and has turned me into fan that ranks him up there with the Kubrick, de Palmas, woody Allens and other great Directors. and i feel this film will stand the test of time.

I can understand the frustration completely. Despite the flaws, I still respect Beau is Afraid too much for how out there it gets. Yes, the trauma is extreme, but the film focus on how things feel rather than its actuality. It made me empatize despite the absurdity.

I can respect most opinions but this is just a bad review, just because something isn’t someone’s cup of tea, it does not mean it is a “bad” movie by any means! Ari should be able to do more like this for the sole fact that filmmakers never get this much freedom. The directing is stellar, performances are great, and the set design immaculate. This movie will definitely be hated by a lot of people, but is in no way bad! So actually, DO LET HIM COOK

The film is a parable; not a moment of it is meant to be taken literally. It’s a study on imperialism. All the satirical psychoanalytic themes are emblematic of something bigger and much more interesting than mommy issues.🎉🎉🎉

aight that's like your opinion, man. it's silly and the arguments are shabby, but it's yours.

I do not understand how some people feel that just because a film did not connect with them, that means that it shouldn't exist. The movie may be a self-indulgent mess where Ari Aster trauma dumps his audience for 3 hours, but it's HIS movie and he has every right to do so. For those exact reasons why you didn't like it, someone else might. It's very silly to suggest that an artist shouldn't make what he wants to make, just because YOU didn't like it.

Beau Is Disappointed

It’s a shame this didn’t do as well as the others, it’s definitely his best and most interesting/original film to date in my mind and I hope he can take some other big swings after this despite its lackluster box office performance

What are you talking about dude? I loved this movie!!!!. Ur crazy

i was so extremely excited for this film . for the talent and the director. but i felt like i over excited myself like i did for Barbarian thinking it would be more than it was ; though being an okay movie it was my own expectations that let me down . i however did start crying during the play scene it only made me feel foolish when the movie progressed in an unflattering way IN MY WORTHLESS OPINION

I thought it was okay. Not terrible, but not as good as Aster's previous feature films. As far as my own interpretation, I think it's about anxiety and the trauma of growing up with an abusive mother.

im afraid to watch it, hereditary was too effective of horror and midsommar kinda broke me. probably the only movie i wish i could erase from my memory.

It Was A Incredible Film. Even If People Think It’s Not Good Atleast Its A Original Film Idea Thats Actually Interesting And Not Like Cbm Films.

It's fine if you didn't like the movie. It's not going to be for everyone and Aster wasn't aiming for a wide audience. However, for you to say a director shouldn't make movies they want to make is downright insulting and discouraging to people who want to create original ideas. We should be glad that a movie like this is allow to exist when it had a lot of obstacles that would've made it no so.

was best film of 2023. Never laugh so hard in my life

If he makes a continuation to Hereditary or Midsommar. I’m down for it. Let him!

It was simply Awesome

Disagree wholeheartedly with the review. Didn't feel like bloated runtime, and the ending was perfect. Saying random things like "cut another 40 minutes" makes no sense.

I love this movie. I love how Ari can just make a movie and take me on a ride the whole time. Especially going in knowing nothing. Hereditary could be said the same. It's okay you didn't like it. But you sound like a stuck up film major who likes to ruin their friends movie experiences. Like bro, he's a story teller. He told a story, and made you feel things, that's the point of the movie, regardless if you felt good or awful.

tldr: we'll let you cook after this one not a fan of Aster's work generally, especially compared to the other A24 "darlings." but to discourage artists from cooking is antithetical to art. like we get you didn't like the movie (hell, I'm not as infatuated with it as other comments have expressed defending this movie); but it doesn't mean Aster, as artist, must be reined in. you have some interesting opinions about the movie. it's just a shame that that's your conclusion. but please continue to cook.

Ari Aster is not a horror master.

This movie was brilliant!

You summed up how I felt about the film succinctly (unlike anything in this movie). Turns out Ari Aster wasn't cooking shit. What worked amazingly well as a 6-minute short ballooned into a 3-hour showcase of unchecked ego. But I guess we're partially to blame for gassing him up after two movies that seem far less special as time marches forward. I'm happy that he got the creative freedom and budget to showcase his unrestrained vision...but I'm even more happy that it was a complete and utter flop. Hopefully, he never gets this much of a budget again because he clearly works better under some kind of restraint.

I mean, Aster pretty much made a career ripping off rosemary’s baby and the wicker man

40 minutes?? i'd say like 15 or 20 minutes tops. i mean the first 2 hours and 20 minutes alone are fantastic. i think you just got fatigued my friend. try watching it again segmented and i'm sure you'll like it more.

Hmm 🤔

Best picture this year