Yahoo News Beau Is Afraid director Ari Aster is happy if you are confused by his film
Puzzling. Bewildering. Perplexing. Those aren't typically words a filmmaker wants to hear from audiences who've seen their movie. But Ari Aster is bothered by those adjectives at all.
In his new film, Beau Is Afraid (in theaters now), Joaquin Phoenix plays an anxious city-dweller whose quest to visit his mother turns into an epic, nightmarish, death-filled odyssey. While some have expressed their confusion over the plot (Beau cast members included), this writer found the A24-produced movie to be very funny, very disturbing, and very unique — sharing as much with the filmmaker when chatting with him ahead of the movie's release.
"I'll take it," says the director, previously responsible for the horror films Hereditary and Midsommar. "I've met people who were excited by the film, who were really happy with it, and thought it was very funny, and then I've met people who seemed really confounded by it. And that I'm happy with, I think that's great. I like that it seems to be something that people have to contend with and wrestle with. It's really across the board."
Below, Aster talks about working with Phoenix, his surprise that A24 so swiftly agreed to back his vision, and why a couple of attendees were unhappy when they attended a Beau Is Afraid surprise screening.
A24 Joaquin Phoenix and director Ari Aster on the set of 'Beau Is Afraid'
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: You made both Hereditary and Midsommar for A24, but this is a very different, and bigger, film. What kind of discussions did you have with the folks there about it?
ARI ASTER: Well, there weren't so many discussions about the nature of the film. I sent them the script, and I was surprised that they took to it so quickly, because it is such a weird thing. Really, they were just supportive from very early on, and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have been able to make this film with these resources, and this little compromise, with anybody else. I had a lot of freedom here, and I'm very pleased where the film ended up, and I'm very grateful to them for giving me the space to make the film in the way that I did.
Did they have any notes? This didn't seem like a film that was overburdened by studio notes.
No, for better or for worse, there weren't a lot of notes. The challenge was always to get it as short as I could. There was always a lot of encouragement to chisel it down as far as possible. I'm very pleased with the final shape of the film. It feels to me like it's very complete. It is, again, for better or for worse, what I set out to make.
Could you talk a little bit about the physical look of Joaquin in the film. Is that something you had in mind? Is it something you devised with him?
The look was definitely something that we worked on together. Joaquin gets very involved very early on, [asking], "What is the hair? What are his clothes? Not only what is his appearance but how does he carry himself? How does he walk? What is his voice?" All those questions. I certainly had an idea of who Beau was, and what he looked like, and the space we needed to work within. From there, it was the two of us together and him really taking the wheel on that in a great way.
Takashi Seida Nathan Lane, Joaquin Phoenix, and Amy Ryan in 'Beau Is Afraid'
You have quite a few people in the cast, particularly Patti LuPone, who are well-known as Broadway performers. Was that a coincidence or were you leaning into that?
I don't know why, but I always wanted the cast to be comprised especially of theater actors. I mean, all these guys are screen actors too, like Nathan Lane, Amy Ryan certainly. It's arguable whether they're screen actors or theater actors first, right? And Parker Posey, she's on the stage a lot and she's wonderful. And then, Patti LuPone, I thought of her because I'd seen her in a David Mamet play 10 years ago and was very impressed. Then I saw her in a red carpet video where she was just being Patti. She's the best. She's so funny, and so game, and really committed. It felt like a no-brainer once I saw that video. Like, why not use her? And so that was a joy.
This April Fool's Day, you and Joaquin attended a surprise screening of Beau Is Afraid in New York at an event which was advertised as a showing of the director's cut of Midsommar. What can of reaction did you get from the audience?
I have no idea. I'm so in my own head and I'm so hyper-aware of every nuance of every interaction. I can't even speak to it.
Did anybody at the screening say, "Hey, I came to see Midsommar, I want my money back!"
Yeah, I heard about a couple of people who were like, that's the ticket they bought, that's what they intended to see, what the f---?!
Do you know what you're doing next?
I have an idea what I'm doing next, yeah.
You don't care to share it with me?
Well, it's nothing personal. It's not you, it's me.
Beau Is Afraid is in theaters now. Watch the film's trailer above.
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