Beau Is Afraid - The scoop and digest

Writer-director Ari Aster gives his 2011 short Beau the feature-length treatment.

Joaquin Phoenix - Beau Wasserman

Nathan Lane - Roger

Amy Ryan - Grace

Stephen McKinley Henderson - Therapist

Hayley Squires - Penelope

Denis Ménochet - Jeeves

Kylie Rogers - Toni

Patti LuPone - Mona Wasserman

Summary

The extremely anxious and paranoid Beau prepares to leave an unidentified crime ridden city for Washington to attend his mother's funeral.

However, he misses flight after his luggage and keys are stolen.

And so begins a bizarre and fantastical journey, where anything is possible and nothing makes sense.

Fear, guilt and humiliation

3 hour Kafkaesque tragicomedy drags, but worth sticking with.

Some sections are meant to be funny, and it helps if you laugh.  If not, experience may become literally a nightmare.

Phoenix gives another powerhouse performance, but the main talking point is giant penis monster, (revealed to be Beau's father).

According to Mona, 'he' died upon ejaculating inside her.

Not even a dangerous dose of Zypnotycril could rationalize situation, let alone explain it.