To try and understand what actually happens at the end of Beau Is Afraid, one must first look back at the rest of the movie. Even the finale, which has Joaquin Phoenix’s Beau Wassermann facing a surreal tribunal, doesn’t really tell us what’s been going on. But Aster refuses to directly explain the events in the film. Namely: Is writer-director Ari Aster okay? And what’s going on in the film’s crazy ending? The picture is structured as an existential mystery, always on the verge of delivering some big revelation that will clarify the insanity we’ve been watching. Regardless of whether you think it’s a masterpiece or a career-ending crime against cinema, Beau Is Afraid will leave you with a lot of questions. Spoilers ahead for the plot and ending of Beau Is Afraid. We are recirculating it now that Beau Is Afraid is available on digital.
This piece was originally published in April.
