Beau is Afraid

After his mother's sudden death, mild-mannered but paranoid Beau—Oscar winner Joaquin Phoenix (‘Joker,’ ‘C'mon C'mon’)—must face his worst fears as he embarks on an epic, Kafkaesque journey to attend the funeral. Amy Ryan, Nathan Lane, Patti LuPone and Parker Posey also star in this surreal and daring film from director Ari Aster (‘Hereditary,’ ‘Midsommar’). ‘Aster’s signature slow-building sense of dread pervades a film that can be outrageously violent, although the fear advertised by its title is more satirical than scary, as the cult-fave filmmaker pokes fun at a hapless man-child crippled by guilt, shame and countless other neuroses… Horror and comedy are flip sides of the same coin, confronting taboos en route to catharsis, and detail-oriented Aster seems uniquely wired to meld the two disciplines.’—Peter Debruge, Variety