Where I Watched It: Paramount Plus (with Showtime)

English Audio Description?: Yes

Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Patti LuPone, Nathan Lane, Amy Ryan, Parker Posey, Kylie Roger’s, Denis Menochet, Zoe Lister Jones, Richard Kind, and bill Hader.

Written And Directed By: Ari Aster

Boy, am i glad this had audio description. Someone deserves overtime pay, because Aster certainly made them earn their money. Bo Is Afraid is one of those divisive films some will love and some will hate. Even among Ari Aster fans who look forward to his particular brand of oddity, this may not be what they expected from the director of Hereditary and midsummer. It might be the kind of film Dante would have loved, or certainly James Joyce. Bo feels like he’s on this mad odyssey of his own, as the world as he perceives it is a hellscape. And while he seems to try to live from day-to-day, he’s a bit of a sad sack, and therefore an odd protagonist, but Aster wants it that way.

In some ways, this follows the non-existing four act structure. Typically, you see there being three acts, but here he clearly has four very different segments. There’s the beginning, where we meet Bo’s heightened existence in what appears to be a perpetual nightmare, a second act that revolves around almost the complete opposite and still somehow is deeply unsettling, a third segment that is borderline existential in the woods, and a final act where it appears Bo might have finally finished his odyssey.

breaking it down into those acts, or chapters, the third act is what keeps this from being truly great for me. The film clearly starts to lag, and that segment is almost a lullaby compared to the constantly on edge content we’ve gotten up until this point. Aster could have easily cut that down, so it felt more like a bridge between chapters than a segment to itself.

Otherwise, you just have to take this for what it is. This cannot possibly be the real world, as things just do not appear to us this way. Within five minutes, even the poorest soul, in the worst neighborhood is likely to say to themselves “I would move.” Aster doesn’t just want Bo to be afraid, he wants you to be as well. but he does it without making this film an absolutely gory nightmare. Sure, there are some unforgettable scenes described you cannot possibly forget, but this shows the brilliance of Aster beyond just using shocking gore to rope in a horror audience craving a film that has a soul and isn’t built on jump scares.

Aster uses Bo is Afraid to convince us that he’s damn near capable of anything, that he could have directed Fear and loathing in Las Vegas, or perhaps Synecdoche New York. The idea that he could branch away from horror, he glimpses with some moments of levity his previous works have lacked. It’s Ok to laugh here, but I would stop before calling this a comedy. It still feels so unnerving at times, he feels locked into some kind of odd comedy thriller genre he seems to be creating for himself.

It’s the first time I’ve ever been excited for an Aster project, and it’s by far his least accessible film. This is definitely not for everyone. I cannot stress that enough. If you walked out of Babylon, you will likely find material here to be objectionable. However, if you are an Aster fan, you’ve already seen some disturbing shit. You’ll be fine.

Joaquin Phoenix is giving less of a performance and is more of a tool for Aster. in some ways, his constant reactions to things are so good it feels like he may never have seen a script for this, and is just as scared as Bo is supposed to be. that’s probably the genius in his performance, since Phoenix has definitely gone bigger before. The real winner here, and sadly being left out of Oscar consideration, is Patti Lupone, who brilliantly takes her limited screen time by the balls, and delivers a ferocious performance I, nor you, will soon forget. It’s pretty impossible to forget her scene staling work, and she makes the whole movie worth it. I loved her in this, I love that Aster found these actors like Lupone and Nathan Lane that I never thought would appear in a film of his, and it works so well for him. I can assure you right now, Lupone will be in my final list of the Best Supporting performances of the year.

If Aster had shortened or removed the woods sequence, I likely would have this in my top 10. He went from a director I didn’t care about, and everyone else did, to a director I sure hope continues to dare to swing big, and not just settle for above average horror films. There are very few people I’d trust with a classic novel like slaughterhouse Five, or A Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy, but if a studio is willing to let Aster truly give it everything he’s got, he could really do something special. Or, he can come up with another original nightmare. either way, I’m on board next time.

Final Grade: B+