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Film reviews

Beau is Afraid Review

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“When we use love and compassion as our guiding principles we can create, develop and implement systems of change that are beneficial to all sentient beings and to the environment.”

-Joaquin Phoenix

This quote by Joaquin Phoenix holds true in life. His performance in Beau is Afraid contains “love” and “compassion” as well as “guiding principles.” In all the elements in this film, the world created by director Ari Aster utilizes a foundation from the past and present. Phoenix’s performance maximizes the film’s invigorating tensions. Beau is Afraid is like an adventure mixed with medicinal side-effects. The bizarreness of Beau is Afraid is truly surreal brilliance. There are unexplained scenarios that involve pieces which appear in the most twisted of ways. Beau is Afraid is an experience of information overload with a positive perspective. The film may seem mind-boggling and overwhelming for some. I even felt that way in moments, but my heart was set purely on the adventure of a misconstrued man. Phoenix as Beau is that man in Beau is Afraid.

The film starts with Beau visiting his doctor because he suffers from extreme anxiety. The film shifts frequently to make the environment around Beau have a haunting and psychologically stressful ambience. This is common of Aster’s directing. Beau talks about how he is excited to visit his mother, but Beau really has lots of anxiety about the visit. As Beau preps for his trip, his environment goes awry. His world seems to crash in on him and his manic episodes put him in the home of a married couple named Grace (played by Amy Ryan) and Roger (played by Nathan Lane). They explain to Beau that they are taking care of him because he has been in an accident. With Beau’s mental state and worry about getting to his mother, Beau’s path home turns darker. The journey for Beau is an odyssey and which Aster is known for in his films. However, the odyssey in Beau is Afraid is the most in-depth one I have ever seen in any of his projects.

The film had me thinking about the visuals as Beau’s journey continued moving forward. The moments when Beau was going to a new place or trying to find new answers were like a world filled with puzzles, facts, and unfolded truths. Beau thinks back to his past a lot, and it correlates with the current challenges as he struggles to make his way home to see his mother. There are times where the technical aspects lighten up, darken, or go rogue. There are also times where a dark subject for Beau turns to negative cinematography. This effect is added with much more than just harrowing lighting.

Sometimes Beau encounters monsters of his past or even first world problems that he takes too seriously. Every problem in Beau’s head contains a recipe for more surprises to be unfolded. Aster’s directing is filled with a pattern of linking what is in Beau’s mind to other elements in the film. This results in the environments in Beau’s strange journey continuously shifting. It is a ride of questions and truths, but ultimately Beau is Afraid is about Beau confronting his past. The problems in his life hold the key to his anxiety and also the adventure he is on.

Beau is Afraid remains on track, and from my experience, it was revolutionary. The mind of Aster is put to the test in Beau is Afraid. I did feel overwhelmed throughout the film, but that did not stop me from enjoying how much it was blowing my mind. Beau is Afraid is enticing and will prompt viewers to think about the psychological aspects for hours after the movie is over. It will also leave viewers curious to how long they can hold onto something mentally and not let go. Beau has a hard time dismissing the harsh subjects in his head. His experience putting together the pieces is an epic and wildly dazzling experience. Beau is Afraid, but Phoenix is not afraid to play Beau. Aster is known for making scenes feel visually real and leaving a mark. Beau is Afraid is gorgeous and monumental. Aster demonstrates his impressive talent as a director in Beau is Afraid. It will leave audiences with all kinds of emotions and make them think. Four stars.

58th Chicago International Film Festival, Film reviews

Aftersun Review

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Aftersun is a film in which people look at their lives both past and present. Aftersun is filled with melancholy moments, but they display endearment. This may not be a feel-good movie. However, it is breathtaking in terms of its narrative.  Aftersun’s positive light is the struggle which involves mixed feelings between a father and a daughter.

The film focuses on a father, Calum, and his daughter Sophie. Calum is played by Paul Mescal and Sophie is played by Frankie Corio. They are on a vacation together and experience frustrations with each other and with themselves. They have their good days, but also bad days when their fun plans fall apart. Aftersun is about the struggle of accepting the hard life that Calum and Sophie lead. Calum has a rough past, and so does Sophie. Her father does the best he can to be a good father, although it is hard for Sophie to see that in him. It is also difficult for her to accept that he oversees her.

Aftersun is a film that feels experimental because it closely follows the dynamics of Calum and Sophie’s relationship. Their vacation is filled with tension and the intriguing narrative connects effectively with the film’s cinematography. Aftersun portrays true feelings of disconnect in a surreal tone of dramatic filmmaking. The conflicted relationship between Calum and Sophie is unique. It shows that they have hatred, but deeply want to feel connected with each other. In Mescal’s role as Calum, he displays a generous amount of love as a father. In Corio’s role as Sophie, she displays belligerent behavior as a daughter. Aftersun’s story of attempted reconciliation is deep with irreparable consequences.  The emotions between Calum and Sophie are purely sad, but purely engrossing.

With the complicated frustrations and tension between Calum and Sophie, Aftersun flows like a depressing story. However, it is about Calum and Sophie figuring out how to get on the same page to maintain their relationship. The story is about how they come to terms of acceptance, despite their dark past. Calum’s challenging childhood drags her into his suffering. Aftersun is ultimately about forgiveness and second chances despite the struggles between them.

Aftersun is hard to feel positive about. I did appreciate the movie for its realist portrayal of a difficult subject. I found reflecting upon how relationships tend to hurt so much with the ones we love most. The film’s direction and style of filmmaking is faithful to life and society. Three stars for Aftersun.

Film reviews

God’s Creatures Review

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God’s Creatures is a film that is about protecting the ones we love most. It is also about irreparable consequences, that can sometimes come with being protective. In the film’s approach, God’s Creatures is dark and ominous. The film starts out with some positivity. That would be among family, friends, and those that reconnect after harsh times. The happiness does not last though with God’s Creatures. The tension only grows as more conflicts or deceit begins to be realized.

The setting is set in Ireland, in a fishing village. The cinematography is brisk in its unsettling continuity. With being shot in a negative format of 35 mm projection (with Kodak), the lighting is more natural in the film’s gloom. The web of deceit and dishonesty awaits. The technicality only keeps fading to negative tones.  Emily Watson is a mother, and Paul Mescal plays her son. Both are at the center of what is wrong in God’s Creatures. The small town is one that is hard to hide secrets in, and God’s Creatures is set for destruction among relationships.

In God’s Creatures, Watson plays Aileen O’Hara. She is a mother that has a job working with catching oysters. They go through distribution in the fishing village she lives in. Her life though, comes to a dramatic change. Her son Brian (Mescal) comes home. He has been living in another country for a while after a rough past. He decides to come back home. He hopes to have a fresh start after his previous troubles. He starts to pick up some shifts back at home in the fishing village. Aileen tries to keep hope in herself for Brian’s improvements. This all changes though when the authorities reach out to Aileen. They tell her they believe Brian is a criminal for a crime. As a mother, she wants to protect her son. Aileen lies for Brian. Her lie though begins to add fuel to the fire for her friends, family, and worst of all Brian.

As Aileen must face the reality of her choice to protect her son, she must also understand how it can impact her life as well. With Brian’s importance to her, she believes there is faith. It will require more drastic decisions though. As Aileen says, “We’re all God’s creatures in the dark.” Aileen wants to know her son will be ok. It is not guaranteed though, especially since she is dishonest for him. God’s Creatures paints a clear picture of the consequences for lying and the choices one’s made to protect their children.

In the film, the world of happiness and peace comes to a halt. God’s Creatures is a film where the title speaks for itself, and it does so with its breathtaking cinematography. It also does so with its mesmerizing performances by Watson and Mescal. God’s Creatures is destructive by cinematic and artistic nature. The underlying issues are enigmatic and engrossing.

God’s Creatures is not an uplifting film. It is realistic though. The harshness is clear as to why it is happening. The tough love is in-depth, and the light is hard to find. With the fishing village though, the answers may be around many fragments of the film’s setting. Three stars for God’s Creatures.