Why So Blu?

Beau Is Afraid (Blu-ray Review)

Ari Aster has been one of the marquee filmmakers in the A24 roster, helping to build up the brand to the following it has today. After Hereditary and Midsommar, 2023 brought us his opus in Beau Is Afraid. The film, of course, was released to divisive reviews and a lower box office. But, Aster had earned this movie for the studio. And its existence is really much of all that matters. It was released on standard Blu-ray on July 11th. Coupled with a making of, the film surely will see some sort of special 4K release directly from the studio down the line should the pattern of these A24 movies continue. You can order yourself a copy by using the paid Amazon Associates link that follows at the end of the review.

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Film

A paranoid man embarks on an epic odyssey to get home to his mother in this bold and ingeniously depraved new film from writer/director Ari Aster.

Beau Is Afraid is a wild movie to both explain to someone and/or review. For a director not afraid to take a swing, this is quite a grand one, and it leaves one to wonder when he may have such a swing in him again. This is a big, grand magnum opus that almost feels like a tentpole version of a movie like Eraserhead. And that’s what is going to keep the movie living and breathing over the years. Not so much confusingly abstract or solving the thematic mystery that’s at the head of Aster’s film, but it’s more borrowed from the Lynch film in terms of settings, characters, vibe, and narrative.

As much as Aster is in this, every single member of his cast is all in and really paints big strokes to make this as ever kooky as can be. Joaquin Phoenix, to no surprise, crushes it. But it’s the supporting characters that really push Beau Is Afraid to its heights. Amy Ryan has a segment that showcases what a talent she is and pulls off both the creepy happy suburban type and also some kind of nightmarish anger we’ve never seen from her before. Nathan Lane is the perfect foil to this segment as well. Parker Posey is a welcome sight in anything, and this one sees her position not so often seen. Much has been made of Patti LuPone’s performance in the film, but her younger self, as done by Zoe Lister-Jones, is insanely effective and may be one of the most overlooked pieces of the film.

Aster is able to take this fever dream and modulate it into sections and vignettes that string together as one complete thought. It’s a wild, paranoid, introverted, and anxiety, guilt-driven journey the film goes on. The movie easily gets you into the perspective of its titular character, feeling unease and worry constantly throughout. And any little gasp of hope or happiness comes with a bit of apprehension as you never trust things to end very well. That’s a testament to a great creator and production in front of, behind the camera, and in post-production as well.

When it comes to trippy, abstract movies of 2023, Beau Is Afraid will probably finish king. There’s a complete thought and wild journey to take with Ari Aster on this one. There are things present to remind you of past journeys, but those were narratively sound. This is quite the dive he is asking you to take here, and one this viewer feels is very worth it.

Video

Disclaimer: Screen captures used in the review are from promotional images provided by the studio, not the 4K UHD Blu-ray disc.

Encoding: MPEG-4 AVC

Resolution: 108op

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Layers: BD-50

Clarity/Detail: Beau Is Afraid arrives on standard Blu-ray with about as good an image as one would hope for. This transfer is crisp. clear and burst with plenty of color that has wonderful saturation. The story/stage performance section definitely bursts well as do the spookier, darker moments. Details are very fine and quite visible no matter the distance in the frame.

Depth: Depth of field is pretty strong and presents scale both big and small with good effect. Movements are smooth and natural with no issues coming from any sort of motion distortions during action parts.

Black Levels: Blacks are deep and rich. No matter that shadows, things are still visible be it patterns, texture or finer details. Minimal information is lost in the shadows, night or darker fabrics.

Color Reproduction: Colors pop plenty well here. There are some vivid moments where they radiate more than others. Contrast does well to boast some showier things.

Flesh Tones: Skin tones are natural and consistent from start to finish of the film. Facial features and textures are quite visible from any reasonable distance in the frame.

Noise/Artifacts: Clean.

Audio

Audio Format(s): English 5.1 DTS-HD MA, English Descriptive Audio

Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish

Dynamics: Beau Is Afraid comes with a very effective 5.1 track. Volumes are balanced around and played with for maximum effect in some scenes. Be it to ramp up intensity or make you jump, they carry good weight and depth with the effects.

Height: N/A

Low Frequency Extension: The subwoofer hits plenty with smashing glass, punches, engines rumbling, crashing and a lot more. The pandemonium early on in the streets sees lots of beats.

Surround Sound Presentation:  The rear channels provide some well done ambiance to build an environment but also track really well in tracking off screen activity and assisting in sound travel. The front channels carry a good load and do a fine, effective job of being right out and engaging.

Dialogue Reproduction: Vocals are clear and crisp.

Extras

Beau Is Afraid comes with the standard DVD edition and a redeemable digital code.

Finally Home: Making Beau Is Afraid (HD, 15:48) – A solid making of that really is just a ticking box of talking about each actor and their role in the film while bookending things discussing director Ari Aster.

Summary

Even moreso than the previous two films, Beau Is Afraid is not for everyone. But for those that it is for, they are probably at worst going to still be quite fascinated by it and seek it out again. This Blu-ray release from Lionsgate probably spins best it could of the elder home video format. There’s a more fluffy extra that does carry some spoilers that is nice. Many may want to rent and then wait and see if A24 does their own boffo 4K release down the road.

This is a paid Amazon Associates link