“Although, if you do… Record yourself. But don’t!”
‘Beau is afraid’, the new film by Ari Aster, the creator of several of the best recent horror films such as ‘Hereditary’ or ‘Midsommar’, promises to be quite an experience. So much so that the protagonist of it, the no less extravagant Joaquin Phoenix recommends not taking hallucinogenic mushrooms before seeing it… For what it could happen.
“Someone at the university told me that there was a thread between friends, a challenge: they were going to take mushrooms and go see this movie,” he explained. “And I just wanted to take the opportunity to make a public service announcement and say, ‘don’t take magic mushrooms and go see this damn movie’”.
He then jokingly added: “But if you do… Record yourself. But don’t!“
The three hours of ‘Beau is afraid’ promise to be hallucinogenic enough on its own, and throughout them we will see the protagonist of ‘Joker 2: Folie à Deux’ in the skin of Beau Wassermann, a paranoid man who faces his darkest fears by embarking on an epic odyssey to return home after the sudden death of his mother. The first reviews after its release in the US have described the A24 film as a “dark, existential horror-comedy about an emotional shipwreck on a painfully conflicted ride home.”
Phoenix has also recounted how it was the first time he saw ‘Beau is afraid’ sitting next to a “real” audience, confessing that: “I was definitely squirming in my seat. First of all, I was laughing at the whole damn movie. But there’s a couple of sequences where I kept squirming, I mean, things that [Ari Aster] did with the sound design… It was really cool. It’s a very rich world, and there’s so much detail to see in it. It is one hundred percent a movie that you feel. There are very complex themes in this film, but watching it is a visceral experience. Then you leave, and when that feeling wears off, you start thinking about her again.”.
‘Beau is afraid’ opens in Spanish cinemas on 28th of April, just in time for the May bridge. And remember, it is recommended to go sober.
Source: Fotogramas
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
