Beau is Afraid

• Rating: 4/5
• Year: 2023
• Director Ari Aster

A movie about the trauma inflicted by a horrendously manipulitive and insecure mother. It's a compilation of scenes constructed to reflect Beau's inner turmoil as someone with acute anxiety syndrome, panic attackes, and a distorted idea of himself. It shows how trauma echoes and lives within us, distorting our view of the world and destroying our lives. It shows how we can blame ourselves. It kind of / sort of suggests that courage is the way through; but doesn't leave much room for hope. In the end Beau is drowned violently as his conscience grapples with his deeds as his Mom overlooks from above; I guess this final scene was how the trauma and impact lives on beyond the person or event, within us.

I loved the movie. It was spectacularly inventive and fun. You never know what to expect with this movie. Every time I thought it was going to let us off the hook; and Beau would have some realisation and make progress, the movie smacks you and Beau in the face and brings him back down to crawling and crying. It's an awesome creative masterpiece and psychological exploration.

It's really long though.