Movies

I watched Beau Is Afraid the other night and....I just didn't like it.

I wasn't too sure what to expect going in but have enjoyed Ari Aster's films in the past (Hereditary, Midsommar, Dream Scenario). I understand the idea was to ramp the tension and paranoia up to an uncomfortable level, but the story itself just felt disjointed to the point where I didn't really know what was going on a lot of the time. It got progressively harder to follow as the film went on and the ending was gave me a "what did I just watch" reaction.

I dunno really, someone explain what I was missing please 🤣
 
Selaws said:
I watched Beau Is Afraid the other night and....I just didn't like it.

I wasn't too sure what to expect going in but have enjoyed Ari Aster's films in the past (Hereditary, Midsommar, Dream Scenario). I understand the idea was to ramp the tension and paranoia up to an uncomfortable level, but the story itself just felt disjointed to the point where I didn't really know what was going on a lot of the time. It got progressively harder to follow as the film went on and the ending was gave me a "what did I just watch" reaction.

I dunno really, someone explain what I was missing please 🤣
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I think this is a totally rational reaction to the movie.

I think if you’re going in expecting, like, a plot, with a sense of absolution, it’s going to be a pretty miserable experience. The movie is basically an extended anxiety dream about a man who’s so fully broken by the universe that he sees nothing but the worst possible outcome in any situation. The comic conceit is that the movie then proceeds to prove every single one of his paranoiac impulses correct for the entire runtime. I found it kind of exhausting, but also ambitious and beautifully crafted and very funny. I think what really stuck with me was how accurately Aster captures the absurdity of dream logic, both in the little details (Birthday Boy Stab Man is exactly the sort of a strange nightmare figure I would accept without hesitation in a dream, and then be mildly baffled by upon waking), and in the general flow of events. It just feels like A24 cut Aster a check and he made the most self-indulgent, demented brain dump trauma exorcism possible, and I think that’s fascinating.
 
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Selaws said:
I watched Beau Is Afraid the other night and....I just didn't like it.

I wasn't too sure what to expect going in but have enjoyed Ari Aster's films in the past (Hereditary, Midsommar, Dream Scenario). I understand the idea was to ramp the tension and paranoia up to an uncomfortable level, but the story itself just felt disjointed to the point where I didn't really know what was going on a lot of the time. It got progressively harder to follow as the film went on and the ending was gave me a "what did I just watch" reaction.

I dunno really, someone explain what I was missing please 🤣
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Midsommar is one of my favorite films ever. I love Hereditary too. But yeah I didn’t connect with Beau is Afraid. I got it, I just didn’t like it.

But anyway, if you think too much about the logic of the events or whether or not something is real, it all kinda falls apart. I approached it and accepted it as it is, not worrying about what reality is. To me it is a visual representation of anxiety and all the weird places your mind goes when you’re spiraling in a panic. Having experience with that myself, I didn’t find the movie very fun. But I also just…didn’t care? I didn’t find it especially interesting. The first chunk is decent, and I enjoy the flashback sequence a lot, but other than that it’s a miss for me. I will try to rewatch it and see if my mind changes, but I don’t think it will.

Anywayyyyy, it’s more a weird road trip / journey kind of movie revolving around the most anxious person you’ll ever meet. Everything that can go wrong does. Every detour the mind can go, it goes there and we witness it. The issue is, to me, the places it goes aren’t that engaging. It has moments, but it also just kind drags.
 
Also watched the Guardians holiday special. It was a fun little detour. Also just read up on what happened in those avengers movies with these characters. So now onto Vol. 3. I really love Rocket and Groot and I know this one is heavy with Rocket’s storyline. Oh, also really enjoyed Vol. 2. Thought it was better than the first, and also felt surprised how much I liked the new character Mantis so quickly. Overall, just really great characters all around in this series.
 
Selaws said:
I watched Beau Is Afraid the other night and....I just didn't like it.

I wasn't too sure what to expect going in but have enjoyed Ari Aster's films in the past (Hereditary, Midsommar, Dream Scenario). I understand the idea was to ramp the tension and paranoia up to an uncomfortable level, but the story itself just felt disjointed to the point where I didn't really know what was going on a lot of the time. It got progressively harder to follow as the film went on and the ending was gave me a "what did I just watch" reaction.

I dunno really, someone explain what I was missing please 🤣
Click to expand...
I think me having seen most of Aster's short filmography beforehand definitely helped. (Much of it is on YouTube.) Beau is Afraid taps into a lot of the quirky, uncanny and dysfunctional energy of that earlier work. You really get a clear sense of who Ari Aster is as a storyteller after digesting all those pieces. Having that already in my brain made the trip a blast.
 
Finished up the Guardians trilogy. Great ending, surprisingly moving. Also still a pretty fun ride even though it gets heavy. I don’t know which one I like the most, but the Rocket stuff in 3 is some of the best material of the series. I also loved the opening scene. It really sets a tone perfectly. Sad it’s all over now.
 
Bennnnn said:
Finished up the Guardians trilogy. Great ending, surprisingly moving. Also still a pretty fun ride even though it gets heavy. I don’t know which one I like the most, but the Rocket stuff in 3 is some of the best material of the series. I also loved the opening scene. It really sets a tone perfectly. Sad it’s all over now.
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The actor who plays the villain in Guardians 3 is also in Peacemaker. He plays Peacemaker's boss.
 
tvham said:
Today I saw The Zone of Interest. It's such a powerful film, highly recommended if it's available near you.
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Closest is stil 2.5 hrs away. Know it will be at least 1.5 hr away next week, so may have to make the drive if it doesn't show up here.
 
ayayrawn said:
Closest is stil 2.5 hrs away. Know it will be at least 1.5 hr away next week, so may have to make the drive if it doesn't show up here.
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I'm lucky that most of the films I want to see before the Oscar's have opened near me recently. I'm going to see All of Us Strangers Monday, still waiting for The Taste of Things to make it to SF.
 
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