Ari Aster’s latest film “Beau Is Afraid” is a horror-comedy that delves into the psyche of a man who is mute from birth and his struggles with family trauma. Aster is known for his films “Hereditary” (2018) and “Midsommar” (2019) which received critical acclaim for their depiction of inherited trauma and family ties. The opening scene of “Beau Is Afraid” sets the stage for the rest of the film, with its unusual and unsettling prelude. The film explores the dark side of human nature, the fear of the unknown, and the impact of family dynamics on individuals.
An Unusual and Unsettling Prelude
The film opens with an unusual and unsettling prelude that sets the stage for the rest of the film. The opening scene shows a black nothingness, over which reddish patches of color flicker. The audience hears a menacing drone, together with a degressive hissing. Soon it becomes clear that the pulsing of blood, whipped up by a pounding heartbeat, is accompanied by high-pitched shrieks. These sounds do not belong to Beau (Joaquin Phoenix), the protagonist of the film. Instead, they come from his mother’s larynx, who is concerned about his silence and wonders if he is even alive. This opening scene immediately arouses curiosity and sets the tone for the rest of the film.
Beau’s Struggles with Inherited Trauma
Beau is a man who is mute from birth, and his struggles with family trauma are at the heart of the film. The film explores the lasting damage that a supposedly loving home can leave behind. Beau is a prematurely aged protagonist, with strikingly light and gray hair. His facial expression mostly shows concern, and the lack of posture reveals a deep depression. Ari Aster first presents Beau in a shy conversation with his therapist, which revolves around an upcoming visit to his mother Mona (Patti LuPone). This scene culminates in the prescription of another psychotropic drug and makes it easy to see that Beau is afraid of everything.
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The Impact of Family Dynamics on Individuals
In Ari Aster’s work, family ties are not a peaceful promise but a ground on which trauma is inherited and neurosis bred. His films declare their inherent promise of unconditional love to be a farce and replace it with that of an inescapable obligation, which conjures up crushing feelings of guilt that shape fate. “Beau Is Afraid” explores this theme with great depth. Beau’s disorientation has largely to do with the pangs of conscience instilled in him by his mother under the cloak of maternal care. When strangers steal the key to his apartment, and he has to cancel the planned visit, she not only questions his reasons – indirectly accusing him of lying – but is also disappointed. When he tries to stand up for himself, she gaslights him and makes him doubt his own sanity. These dynamics between Beau and his mother illustrate the impact of family dynamics on individuals and how they can lead to lifelong struggle with self-doubt and guilt.
The Grotesque and Comical Overdrawing
As in his previous films, Aster’s scenes are deeply disturbing, but in view of the sheer abundance of the grotesque and the slapstick-like over-drawing, they are sometimes simply extremely comical. Together with the flood of original images from the camera of Pawel Pogorzelski, a paranoid pull is created that lasts for about the first third of the three-hour epic. The colorful array of ideas that the filmmaker repeatedly hints at over the course of the exuberant season never adds up to a criticism
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