A Three Hour Quest with Joaquin Phoenix

Published on April 24th 2023

-When the reviews dropped for Beau Is Afraid — the latest offering from director Ari Aster — many critics were impressed with the cinematic feat; others however, seemed unsure about what they’d experienced, throwing out words like “chaos,” “anxiety” and “panic attack." The movie received a wider release in theaters Friday, pulling in $2.7 million at the box office this weekend (amid another terrific showing for The Super Mario Bros. Movie), and audiences are taking to social media with their own opinions of the A24 nightmare comedy. While some viewers were quick to call Ari Aster's latest one of their “faves of the year so far,” the general consensus of those who liked the movie seemed perplexed and affected, deducing that that must mean it was good, right? According to this Twitter user:

Just got out of Beau Is Afraid and honestly, I can’t tell if I loved it or hated it. If it’s genius or one of the stupidest things I’ve ever seen. That I’m conflicted means it’s probably the former, but I’m going to have to think on that one.