WHY BEAU IS AFRAID | A Film Analysis
Vložit
- čas přidán 5. 07. 2023
- A deep-dive into Ari Aster's 'Beau Is Afraid', starring Joaquin Phoenix and Patti LuPone.
Music: "Disintegrating" by Myuu
• 🙁 Sad & Somber (Free M...
"Myuu - Disintegrating" is under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license.
/ myuuji - Krátké a kreslené filmy
This movie was 3 hours of raw and consistent "he just like me fr" moments.
God, me too man. 😢
Watched it yesterday. Same.
This is such a good break down and made me notice that Beau’s mom is 100% a narcissist. She is incapable of feeling empathy for him, she sees herself as this perfect mother and amazing business woman, she uses people for her own gain, she fails to see how her own toxicity is pushing Beau away, furthermore she doesn’t even think she’s done anything wrong and feels it’s everyone else who’s out to get her, and at the root of it all she’s a deeply insecure and unloved person.
When you view Beau’s relationship with his mom through the lense of living with a narcissist it makes so much more sense.
Even the trial at the end of the film is just a literal representation of trying to defend yourself against someone who sees everything you do as a personal attack to them
You nailed it.
In my opinion, I think one of the saddest things about these situations is the presence of blame. Often, an abused and hurt child will thrust the pain of their up-bringing onto the narcissistic parent, demonizing them with complete blame. This further perpetuates the cycle of shame and pain the parent feels in the first place from their own often horrible situation. People are, fortunately, not narcissistic out of the womb, and become this way as unconscious learned behavior as a defense to their environment. To fully blame the narcissist, while ignoring their pain, would be akin to blaming someone like Beau for the way he is, ignoring why he is the way he is. Responsibility is often substituted with blame, and blame in situations like these helps no one
I think it can be said that narcissism is basically a coping mechanism to the childhood trauma. It trying to compensate through external things one's deep rooted beliefs of being unloved and impossibility of being loved. A coping mechanism that is widely accepted in our wretched modern society for reasons... Ari Ester films so far are essentially about the cycle of trauma that goes in families.
Honestly I have a friend who seems to have the same complex but not as severe, his mom fucked his head up and literally had to move away from her eventually and now lives in Florida bettering himself while his mom still lives in New Jersey. While he was here he slowly became reclusive, uninterested in social settings and work and also has a lot of trouble with more serious relationships with other women. I lived with the guy I know. Hope he’s doing better
@@hippiecheezburger5457Wow, this sounds just like my ex. Except he’s still in NJ. And is super into working but only as a means to avoid relationships. Seeing the trauma these central figures place on us is such a heavy burden, even with compassion it can feel exhausting. Anyway, crazy fucking movie, eh?
The Last words made this amazing analysis even better. "In the end Beau was afraid, but only because Mona was Terrified". 🎉
The tragedy of Toni's situation is that her parents would never have loved her a fraction as much as they love their dead son, because their dead son is a permanently perfect child. He died a hero (at least according to society's notion that all soldiers who are killed in action are heroes) and now being dead, he can never disappoint his parents, he can never betray them. Consequently, Beau empathizes with Toni more so than anybody else whose path he crosses because he knows what it's like to never live up to parents' impossible standards.
You long for someone more when they’re gone than when they’re alive.
Something about that scene where he crosses the street for water and that homeless guy immediately follows him frantically asking for help… got my anxiety in high gear. That feeling of how you’re in desperate need of a fix yourself and you feel and hurt for others asking for help. Pure chaos in the head.
I agree! Aster really captures very specific examples of dread and anxiety in the film.
That scene is too good. It hits hard living in Cape Town, an incredible place to live in a lot of ways (for those of us who are fortunate! but we have terrible problems with inequality and homelessness. You can’t go into most shops without being ‘accosted’ by a desperate person. And it slowly chips away at your empathy, too. It’s just awful. And really messes with your head! This scene and a lot of the scenes outside Beau’s apartment really hit hard.
this was a masterclass of a breakdown oh my god
This is undoubtedly the most accurate representation of the movie I've seen.
People always skip over the part where he is called selfish by the play narrator and confesses cowardice. He then wakes up to horns and lives out a fairytale. He is guilty, of not standing up for himself, of cowardice. Only through reflecting on this was he able to grow beyond it.
Compared to the end scene where his self-respect is thrown off a ledge and when the horns blare he begs for help from his mom, falling back into the same trap.
Which reminds me - if you rewatch the part where he first enters the play company and listen to the actors previewing they are foreshadowing the ending. Seem to be speaking about the cave 'if it were a trap? Or is it an opportunity?...' the scene even ends with stage lights mimicking the projectors in the arena and Beau having water dumped on his head (drowning).
I also wonder what the boat engine represents at the end. Clearly he has had some motivation pushing him forward through the constant cycles of abuse from his mother. What broke down here? His sanity?
Thank you!
Yeah, that part you mentioned in the preview of the play is definitely another example of the fatalism running through the film. And the dialogue by Penelope there to Beau: "let's not spoil it." As well as the actor talking about the revelation that those horns sounding are funeral horns.
Which of course, Beau does realize when the trumpets sound in the arena, hence his panic when he hears them.
The boat engine stalling could be a number of different things. I think the concept of cycles, like you mentioned, is important here. It could act as a culmination of his guilt and perhaps how he felt like because of that perpetual cycle he has to go through with his mother his entire life, he is metaphorically (and now literally) stuck in place. I don't view the engine/boat as a breakdown of his sanity, but of course that would be a perfectly valid take!
I’ll expose a dumb bias I had in avoiding this video due to low view count but this is by far the best video on this movie on CZcams. Great work! Another point that I think might be overlooked in the few analysis I’ve seen is that Beau is an only child. As one myself, I can definitely relate to Beaus anxiety over disappointing your parent, with no one to share that emotion with. It’s also interesting to think that Toni is also an only child after the death of her brother.
Thanks, I really appreciate that! Yeah there is so many layers to uncover with this movie, it’s unbelievable. You’re right though!
@@ryanthetimetraveleryou are truly a master at work
Beau had a brother...who also died allegedly
The daughter had multiple posters with the phrase: "Only one", on them also.
I really don’t want to have children, no matter how much I try I see so much of my parents in myself. I don’t want my children to go through anything that I did and I feel like it’s unavoidable. I can avoid it all together if I don’t have kids.
This is a great analysis by the way, so much better than all the other ones who make it about themselves. I feel like you see this movie for what it is and not what you want it to be.
I got u! Same for me and my partner…😢Most people around us give birth to babies for themselves, their family, their god or whatever, but never for the baby
Justifiable fears. The only sure way to break the cycle of abuse is to not have kids. It's not impossible to stop replicating your parents towards your own kids, of course, but one must be a fool to underestimate the difficulty of such task.
I've read many stories of people who had unwent narcissistic parents abuse. They decided to have children with a conviction to not repeat what have been done to them. And they believe they are great parents of themselves. I'm always skeptical of such stories. There is just so much unconscious going on in a person's head. Even in this movie we see how the mother character thinks (or more likely desperately wants to think) that she's a great mother.
The trial reminded me so much of the trial at the end of Pink Floyd's the wall. And the whole film was an act of the song Mother of the same album
Wait… this is the best Beau Is Afraid analysis on here. Seriously, thank you for covering this film. It’s not an easy one to cover. Subbed!
This film is just one giant intrusive thought
I think this is the best breakdown I’ve seen so far of this movie
I'm so glad there's people like you who dig deep into this movie that is heavily misunderstood. I could talk about this movie for hours on end I think it's incredibly well made! Such a good analysis!! Amazing work!! :)
First of all, this was a fantastic overview and unpacking of the film. Second of all, I saw Beau is Afraid with closed captions on at a nearby theater and in the opening scene of Beau's birth Mona says "you made me have him!". I think that his father is alive and perhaps pressured or coerced Mona into motherhood, resulting in all the resentment both of Beau and his father that we see from Mona during the film, as well as her desperation to contain/repress Beau's sexuality/masculinity.
What does the giant peen mean?
@@mckernan603 i think the man in the attic is beau's 'inner child' who had self-esteem and was normal, but mona's abuse forced him into the attic (in beau's mind), leaving the broken 'personality' moving in the world. the giant penis is the boogeyman that mona's conception/father-killing story created in the 'attic' of beau's mind, and trapped it in the attic with his 'inner child'. a parent telling a child about their intimate emotional or sexual details and problems is known as 'emotional incest' and is another factor in beau's fear of sexuality, on top of his literal fear of dying, should he feel any sexual gratification. beau is terrified of his penis because his mother told him that it would murder him some day, if he ever made an intimate connection with another woman, because she resented his very existence and needed to feed her resentment with his guilt and shame, which was the driving force of mona's parental disposition. she purposefully robbed him of the ability to have normal human relationships because of her resentment and rage toward beau, simply for existing.
@@mckernan603 imo everything that happens in the attic is the boiling point of everything the movie has been saying up until that point about beau's emasculation via mona's resentment of beau's father; I also think it's Ari Aster's attempt to reinforce the absurdity of the film to keep it in the dark comedy realm - his father is literally a giant dick.
Its also possible that he didn't coerce her at all and she's only saying it because she's in pain and wants to hurt somebody else, disconnect from everyone she could've loved. Pretend she had no control over any of it
Giant dick in the attic represents repressed masculinity.
I went through this breakdown wondering how I hadn't found this channel earlier, and was totally shocked that it was only your fifth video. This is a brilliant analysis, from writing to editing. Needless to say you've got another subscriber, and I genuinely hope you see the kind of growth in viewership work like this deserves.
That is very kind of you to say. I’m thrilled that people are enjoying the analysis. Thank you!
I was completely aware that this movie is gonna be a journey and that I won't understand a single thing, but I still watched it so then I can see how capable people are to interpret movie by noticing small details, it always blow my mind. There's just so much chaos in that movie and this analysis just put everything together.
Finally! A well thought out, quality breakdown of what I’d say is the most underrated movie of the year. This was awesome!
“Beau was afraid, but only because Mona was terrified.” CHILLS. Probably the best video about Beau is Afraid
Ari Aster watching this and thinking, "Damn, he really got me."
the first hour of the film is my fav, the absolute chaos, the overwhelming amount of tiny details to look for in every frame- the fucking insanity of the ppl on the street - i want to live there, id also be so full of anxiety but i still wanna
Well done. Easy to understand and straightforward breakdown for a movie that is anything BUT straightforward!
Best analysis made for this film I've seen so far, thank you for all the work you've put into this!
Excellent. This film was simply too difficult to grasp on my own and this is by far the best analysis I’ve found. Thank you
I cant help but think of this film politically. Government/elites are finding ways to control. It uses food, water, currency/banking system, technology, media, sex, pharma, court system and many other things to instill fear. Fear, the surface level theme in the film. Beau represents individuals who dont realize how we are manipulated by these things.
The small themes throughout are the film are brilliant as well. Too many to list.
Interesting point of view!
I'd suggest you read "The Body Never Lies" by Alice Miller if you have the chance. It's mainly about the unconditional respect we have towards our parents, even when they hurt or neglect us; but she also draws the comparison with how we give the same respect to authorities and governments, even though they traumatise us. It's a great read.
I love movies that allow for this kind of alternate interpretation. It may not be the main perspective, but it is a pretty good metaphor.
@@thesoulbird The correct order: parents traumatize us, we proceed in the society to respect authority.
this was such an amazing analysis of a beautiful film, i’m really happy to have randomly come across your channel and hope to see more video essays from you in the future
Hands down, this is the best breakdown of this film I’ve seen so far
I’m at the part where you discuss Beau’s father and how Jeeves destroys and harms the representations of him, and I was just curious if you noticed that Beau’s father is named Harry and when Mina reveals herself to be alive she says to her clean up crew “Feed Harry”, acknowledging that the dad is still alive
I think that might have been referring to the version of him in the attic. But I’m not sure!
I remember her telling them "feed her to Harry" talking abt the dead woman
I remember her telling them "feed her to Harry" talking abt the dead woman
I remember her telling them "feed her to Harry" talking abt the dead woman
I remember her telling them "feed her to Harry" talking abt the dead woman
One of the strongest breakdowns ive seen so far. Great work
Super underrated video man, enjoyed every second of it
This is one of the best videos on this movie. I loved every minute of the film and really enjoyed digging into it. But you pointed out a LOT of little details that I missed. You've gained a sub this day!
mind-blown by how little subs and attention your channel has, this interpretation was beautifully put together and it was really well edited, I loved it, thank you for making this wonderful video
Phenomenal video, well written, analyzed & edited. Subbed w/ notifs on, please make more of this!
Holy hell dude. I was not expecting this breakdown to be so good. Very well done. 👏👏👏
I havent seen this movie, nor did I know what it was about. Ive seen Ari Asters other stuff, but just didnt get around to seeing this because it wasnt in theaters near me.
Having alot of unresolved childhood trauma pertaining to a horrid toxic relationship with my mother, this summary has devastated me. Im not a schizo or whatever the fuck beau is supposed to be, but the plot of this movies digs so goddamn deep into my psyche. Thank you for making this masterpiece of a movie summary/explanation.
I highly recommend watching the movie, I think you’d get a lot out of it!
I am so impressed by this channel and eagerly await more uploads
This is such an awesome dissection of this movie! Beau Is Afraid definitely takes you for a ride on a first viewing, and I had a lot of fun watching it since my friends and I are drawn to strange and weird media often. You provided a plot and thematic interpretation that was easy to follow, set a great mood, and cleared up a lot of loose ends I had when looking into the film.
I’ve become a big fan of Aster’s work lately (sharing a name helps lol) and getting an in depth look like this into the layers of his works is incredible, keep up the great work! 🤟
Also, all hail the Ladybug Man
Thank you for such a detailed breakdown! Definitely the best breakdown and interpretation
Great analysis, criminally under watched video. Commenting in hopes it blows up!
Fantastic breakdown and review dude honestly blown away
the most coherent and true film recap
This is easily the best movie explanation I have seen. Just subscribed.
As someone who hasnt seen the movie but is watching this breakdown i got sooo into it! You absolutely sold me this movie.
The Synopsis & breakdown was so beautifully done, I didn’t feel like I was missing out on anything and was following along very well while multitasking (sorry 😅) thanks for helping explaining it. I can safely add it to a list of movies I can appreciate and connect with the story, even those out of my element/unfamiliar genres, and listen to the true meaning of a message.
This helped me understand the movie a ton better and was a wonderful watch - awesome job :) i consider myself lucky to be an early viewer
Bravo! Loved this review, so beautifully done.
Superb analysis, the best I've seen. I've now subscribed. 🙏
Excellent quality video! Thank you!
What a great analysis of this movie!
I'm amazed by the details and insight you got. I was excited about the Movie because I love Ari Aster, but have been completely thrown off, when I watched it in the theater. I knew there was more to it than I catched on first sight, but I didn't watch it again because it felt like a three hour surreal nightmare on drugs wich I didn't understand.
I think I will watch it again now. Thank you for your great work!
This is a wonderful video.
I hope you get more views and subs. Brilliant work here!!
"In the end Beau was afraid only because Mona was terrified." Perfect.
good vid man very detailed, loved it
best analysis i’ve seen on this movie
Just wanted to confirm that the maintenance man likely stole Beau's keys. He is later seen at Mona's funeral as one of the departing attendees.
Thank u for this video. I love Ari. Your breakdown is fantastic 😍
great video! loved every bit.
Wow, what a phenomenal deep dive. It’s almost like Ari A gave you all this information himself.
The way you ended this analysis killed me
This is such a good analysis!
Ari Aster is the Metamodern version of Kafkaesque! Absolutely Genius. 😎🖤👍
Incredible work you’ve done here! It simply still boggles my mind how many closed-off people have discredited this film as meaningless drivel. Many of the analyses here I feel can be felt subliminally throughout the film and that’s this movie’s true power. We experience the guilt/shame/ambivalence/everything THROUGH Beau as the viewer. If you are open and receptive to this movie, I believe many of these insights you have eloquently and beautifully illuminated here, would reveal themselves to the viewer. Sadly many people do not wish to have their thoughts or ideas challenged, nor their faculties of mind stretched to play the detective, and derive meaning that isn’t just served to them on a silver platter. Although, personally I find the significance/message of this film gut-wrenchingly obvious, and wonder why it eludes so many people. Maybe our toxic societal notions of family, and the appearance of unconditional love for our parents is what keeps people from admitting that our relationships with them can be muddy, toxic, negative, or traumatizing. Anyway, just some thoughts after watching this powerhouse analysis! Thanks again. Cheers!
Thanks! Great analysis.Very useful!
Thank you for this point of view.
Dude only 500 subs? Criminally underrated hahaha great work
Wow. That was an amazing video! I’m sad it’s over :(
Awesome! I love this take!
Excellent video analysis! The lens of viewing almost everything that happens in the film literally was always so interesting, because it was all a product of Beau's mother's fragile sense of reality. How insane the events of the film are are *her* machinations. The monster in the attic could've been an animatronic just to deeply disturb Beau!
Ari Aster loves telling movies (so far) where someone or something is pulling *all* the strings. So in this film, the person pulling the strings is some unstable, narcissistic billionaire mother pulling a huuuuuge Truman Show on her son. And like the Truman Show, the protagonists are kept contained through fear and orchestrated trauma, before rebelling against their fears, sailing off on a boat, and going where their controller cannot follow.
Edit: To further the parallels with The Truman Show, in the play, Beau has this daydream of his potential life that could be an intentional parallel with Truman fantasizing his trip to Fiji. Truman also has quirky and adventurous fantasies (like when he pretends to be an astronaut) that he uses to escape his mundane life. So both of them use escapist daydreaming as an escape from their controllers.
I agree! I'm wondering though, who in Midsommar was pulling all the strings? Nice catch!
@@westernmonk6036 The cult itself controlled everything, I believe! And possibly with the help of their God/Oracle that told them about the future-there was that tapestry near the start of the film that foreshadowed everything about to transpire.
@@99bottlesofwine Ahh thanks!
Best analysis of this movie on the internet so far, very good job man
THAT was AMAZING thank you for your point of view on this movie because I love it and I'm still finding hidden gems within the movie. ❤
best analysis of the movie on youtube.
Beau is like Jiob, in situation, where everything is "inteligently designed" to make him goes thru what he must.
My mum said her womb is the most expensive house I've ever lived in. She asked me when I will start paying for the rent. I said I had been paying for it since the very first day. She asked me whether I paid by cash or card. I said by card. She said she didn't have the impression. She asked me if I paid on credit. I said yes. She asked me when I plan to pay for it. I said after graduation. She said she supposed that I should pay for my lifetime. She asked me if I wanna be her son or change another mum in the next life. I didn't answer. I supposed she thought one life wasn't enough for paying her womb rent. I was not kidding, I truly believe that I've been paying for the rent for my whole F$$$ing life, by my whole F^^^ing body and heart.
My favorite read on this movie is the literal one, where everything you see is actually what happened. Yes, I know, it's the laziest read. For some reason this is the one movie where only looking at the top layer gives me the most enjoyment. Okay, so one more thing. The penis-shaped monster daddy, to me, makes me think of how a negligent mother would talk about her son's father to the son. She would say, "Your father's a dick," you know, to denigrate the father. So I see the penis-monster, I understand that she has said this to her son (even though it wasn't explicitly in the movie) and then I see that she was being literal in saying it. Like, know how in the OMEN the priest says that Damian's mom was a Jackel and everyone just thought that he was calling her a liar and a "loose woman." But then it turns out that the priest was being literal and his Damian's mom is for real a Jackel!? It's the same kinda thing. Maybe this movie makes me think more than I would like to admit...
Or when single moms call their kids deadbeat dad “the sperm donor” turning him into nothing but a biological function.
This is a bizarre movie, and Patty Lupone did WAY too good at portraying an overbearing mother. Far too much like my mother. I never want to watch this brilliant film ever again.
Please make more movie analysis vids. This was a banger
Great reading of the film!
Commenting for the algo. Well done man, this was great
Everyone needs to realize that you owe your parents NOTHING and you are free to have a life away from them if they are harmful to you. As soon as you can, please go live your life
This was beautifully explained!! You deserve a hell of allot more subscribers my man!! You certainly got a new one here!! Incredible work!!!
Damn. Great job on this.
This is the best beau essay I’ve seen. Too many get bogged down by the emasculation of him, and rather than recognizing that as a tool Mona uses for control, they project masculinity as the main aspect of life he was left out of. The life he longed for was in ways the hypermasculine American dream, but the love he felt with his sons is the true crux of what he missed out on because of her. He wanted love and family! Also, it’s really important that you didn’t just dismiss the attic clone as a real twin, which I’ve heard a lot of. My only remaining question for you, is how do you feel about Mona being a surrogate for capitalism itself? Most interactions with her feel simultaneously incredibly personal, and incredibly distant. Media and ads and stuff? We’re all afraid and stuff? Idk thanks so much for this video though!
That’s an interesting idea! The idea that Mona being a surrogate for capitalism is definitely a possibility as well. The intense control that she exerts over Beau, as well as literally having a hand in everything that he owns or uses, to a cripplingly degree.
What’s great about this film is that there’s so much room for metaphor in literally everything, and so many layers of interpretation, but there are no definitive answers. In that way, Beau’s journey, becomes a sort of rorschach test for the viewer.
Love your rorschach analogy, and I think you’re so right!! Thanks again for this incredible content, I’m definitely a fan after this video!
expertly done
There are several layered interpretations for this masterful, trippy movie. To me, the movie symbolizes the many stages of grief one goes through, when mourning a the death of a toxic person (specifically, a son mourning a controlling mother's death). Feelings are conflicted.It's complicated. Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance.
This was one of the best movies i've seen this year.
But it was also a 3 hours emotional flashback to me and i never want to see it again haha
i don't think it's a matter of 'everything is in his head' personaly
it's really putting on screen the feelings of an adult traumatized by his childhood, feeling attacked/endangered by everything and his reality is shaped by his abuser.
The arena scene really got to me, as i completely related to the whole metaphor.
He has no defense, only his mother's interpretation of the events is the right one.
He ends up gaslighted to death, drowning in his own shame.
I honestly had tears of exhaustion in my eyes while watching the frantic jumps of the boat.
The distant screams of the mother putting on a show and playing the victim were just terrifying to me.
I can't believe it was marketed as a comedy.
The theater wasn't packed but there was still a lot of people.
I didn't hear one laugh. But this is why i go to the cinema. I love movies like that.
But yeah, once is enough
Great video
I feel like a double feature of Beau Is Afraid and A Serious Man encapsulates the Jewish experience perfectly.
That would be a good double feature!
Damn good breakdown.
This is definitely the best explanation and i identify with it the others don’t seem as a analytical or intellectual but by that I mean In the way I saw it, not as in their theories are dumb I’m just saying we saw it the same way and this is amazing thank you for sharing ❤
I’m glad you enjoyed it!
This was amazing
The man at the end of the play claims to have been a nurse for Beau’s father. Beau imprints on that man being his father irregardless of their actual relation. The dissonance can either reinforce a delusional angle of interpretation on Beau’s journey to some degree, or that the man was Beau’s father and attempted to hide his real identity in fear of Mona’s seeming omnipotent wrath
My 14 yr old son has anxiety and this movie is terrifying.
Excellent breakdown. I tried watching one other in-depth analysis before this one but the dude was so arrogant I turned it off after about 5 minutes. I look forward to watching more of your videos. Best of luck in 2024 and beyond!
Mona is a narc. and beau is her victim, I lived with such a female for 33 years. she is my wife.
Why haven't you left yet? I know it's not that simple but, it's never too late. Take care of yourself man.
it is about 7 months I left her and living alone, and just feel what is life in peace. yes you are right it's never too late even if only 1 day been left for living.
@@NavidonCZcams Congratulations and good luck man.
Does anyone have any idea about the scene in the first act wherein Beau was trying sleep, but that neighbor kept sliding notes underneath his door to 'keep it down'? I'm not sure what to feel about that or how it might relate to Mona's manipulations?
I think that and the loud music was a part of the plan to make him wake up late. She would screw him over but expect him to do everything he can to get to her
Just spent this whole video going "Ohhhhhhh"
Well done.
Excellent analysis. What is the name of this somber, beautiful tune going on in the background?
Thank you! The song is called “Disintegrating” by Myuu.
Holy Crap man, you're a review machine.
Beau is afraid of his mother is about the simplest answer
Wow. Fantastic video. This is the only one like it on your channel. Are you planning on making more similar to this one?
I’m working on something right now, should be done in a few days!
The actor who plays young Beau looks so much like Joaquin when he was in Parenthood!!
thank you