Beau Is Afraid’s Ending Defined

Contemporary off his directorial hits “Midsommar” and “Hereditary,” Ari Aster returns with a surreal horror-comedy in A24’s “Beau is Afraid,” which hit theaters on April 21. The fact-bending movie follows the titular Beau Wasserman (Joaquin Phoenix), a paranoid, long-suffering, and intensely anxious man afraid of almost every part. Beau desires to go to his judgmental mom, Mona (Patti LuPone and Zoe Lister-Jones), however each step of the journey is an infinite collection of disturbing encounters that affirm and gas Beau’s fears.

At the beginning of the movie, Beau’s therapist has given him an experimental anxiousness remedy he should take with water, however the metropolis is experiencing a water outage. As Beau makes an attempt to depart his residence in a weird, pseudo-post-apocalyptic metropolis to go to his mom, his baggage and keys are stolen from his doorway, and homeless individuals lock him out of his dwelling and trash it. The next day, he learns his mom has been killed, however he should now make the journey for her funeral. Whereas Beau’s taking a shower to ease his grief, a person falls out of his ceiling and lands on him. Beau runs into the road bare, and a truck hits him.

Beau wakes up days later, sporting an ankle monitor within the dwelling of the lady who hit him. This seemingly superb American suburban household consists of the lady, her husband, their daughter, and a person who served within the military with their son, who was killed in motion. When the daughter deliberately kills herself in entrance of Beau, the mom blames Beau, and he flees to the woods with the military veteran giving chase.

Within the woods, Beau encounters an performing troupe, which kicks off a 20-minute animated phase of the movie as Beau reimagines his life. He imagines he would’ve raised kids if his mom had not made him paranoid and remoted. The veteran catches as much as the troupe, murdering a number of of the actors, however Beau escapes and hitchhikes to his mom’s property.

There, he reconnects together with his childhood love, Elaine, and decides to sleep together with her in his mom’s mattress. Beau had all the time believed he would die when he ejaculates as a result of that is how his mom claimed his father died when Beau was conceived. As a substitute, Elaine dies, and Mona reveals she’s been watching all the time. She tells Beau he has a twin brother and his father is a phallic monster.

How Does “Beau Is Afraid” Finish?

Overwhelmed, Beau tries to strangle Mona, then flees to the seaside, the place he steals a motorboat. He steers right into a cave, however as soon as the boat dies, it is revealed to be a lake in the course of a crowded stadium. Mona and her lawyer put Beau on trial for all the instances Beau has damage her, utilizing video proof secretly obtained all through his total life. Mona has Beau’s protection lawyer killed, and Beau loses the trial. The boat explodes, killing Beau. Mona and her lawyer fall in with the thrilling crowd.

What Does “Beau Is Afraid”‘s Ending Imply?

Director Aster informed IndieWire that the world’s resemblance to a cinema “feels in some methods like a mirror.” The viewer, additionally watching Beau’s trial in a crowded movie show, has been observing and judging Beau’s actions with out his information for the reason that starting of the movie, simply as his mom has been.

How A lot of “Beau Is Afraid” Is in Beau’s Head?

It’s by no means revealed how a lot of Beau’s journey is actual. It is seemingly many occasions are the product of his paranoia, damage, or unintended effects of the remedy he took with out water. Sadly, for many who like clear-cut endings, it appears “Beau is Afraid” isn’t meant to have a single definitive narrative that viewers can discover by watching nearer or looking for clues.

What Is the That means Behind “Beau Is Afraid?”

There isn’t any one ethical or lesson in “Beau is Afraid.” Nevertheless, a number of themes are explored all through the movie, together with the unintended effects of remedy, the darkness underlying city and suburban life, how judgment and isolation create concern, the spectrum between anxiousness and actuality, and extra.