Its unusual that a film produced on this scale is so bold and out of the box. I saw Beau is Afraid twice in theaters, the first time with a group, where we were all so blown away by the ending and coming down from the thrill ride of seeing it for the first time, that we were still talking about it an hour later when we got back home, discussing what it all meant and what each scene was ultimately representing in the mind of Beau.
The second time I saw this was in the theater alone. This was a completely different experience because instead of being a thrill ride it was a slog to sit through. This movie honestly dicks around a lot and has a lot of nonsense and irrelevant moments. But what this creates is a movie that isn't terrifying, but hilarious. It was 3 hours of pity for Beau instead of 3 hours of anxiety. It is a 4 Act film, and all 4 Acts are actually low energy and low stakes. It has no climax or "aha, now I get it" moment. In fact, no single moment in the film is important at all besides for the ending. Even after buy and rewatching it more and more it only makes marginally more sense than it did the first time. Its a film that truly makes you think for yourself and is different foe different people. My interpretation of it is that Beau' pathetic nature has slowly over his entire life pulled him out of reality. He lives entirely in his own mind and cannot think for himself, and the events being portrayed are entirely metaphorical. For those that have seen it, notice that any scene in this movie at all, DOES NOT happen if Beau stops being a complete little b**** and takes action. If he just acts like a normal person and doesn't panic in every single situation, then NOTHING goes wrong. Every single scene in Beau is Afraid gives Beau a chance to do the rught thing, and every single one is a failure, all the way to the end, like a football team having an 0-16 season. But the fact that he is too cowardly to ever act and take control of his own life leads him down this path in the wake of a tragedy.
If you have not seen it yet, its better to go in knowing as little as possible, and you should. A24 doesn't make traditional movies. They're not all amazing, but they do have polished new ideas, and Beau is Afraid is indeed one of the best ones.
The second time I saw this was in the theater alone. This was a completely different experience because instead of being a thrill ride it was a slog to sit through. This movie honestly dicks around a lot and has a lot of nonsense and irrelevant moments. But what this creates is a movie that isn't terrifying, but hilarious. It was 3 hours of pity for Beau instead of 3 hours of anxiety. It is a 4 Act film, and all 4 Acts are actually low energy and low stakes. It has no climax or "aha, now I get it" moment. In fact, no single moment in the film is important at all besides for the ending. Even after buy and rewatching it more and more it only makes marginally more sense than it did the first time. Its a film that truly makes you think for yourself and is different foe different people. My interpretation of it is that Beau' pathetic nature has slowly over his entire life pulled him out of reality. He lives entirely in his own mind and cannot think for himself, and the events being portrayed are entirely metaphorical. For those that have seen it, notice that any scene in this movie at all, DOES NOT happen if Beau stops being a complete little b**** and takes action. If he just acts like a normal person and doesn't panic in every single situation, then NOTHING goes wrong. Every single scene in Beau is Afraid gives Beau a chance to do the rught thing, and every single one is a failure, all the way to the end, like a football team having an 0-16 season. But the fact that he is too cowardly to ever act and take control of his own life leads him down this path in the wake of a tragedy.
If you have not seen it yet, its better to go in knowing as little as possible, and you should. A24 doesn't make traditional movies. They're not all amazing, but they do have polished new ideas, and Beau is Afraid is indeed one of the best ones.