Ari Aster is currently promoting “Beau is Afraid” all over South Korea. The film was released there this past Friday.
At one of the promotional screenings for ‘Beau,’ none other than “Parasite” director Bong Joon-ho showed up for the post-screening Q&A and he had nothing but praise for Aster’s film:
Masterful! The most overwhelming movie I've seen in years! I discovered more on the second viewing. I just spent 6 hours of my life watching this movie, twice.
Despite the mixed reviews, there are a lot of “Beau is Afraid” fans out there. You definitely can’t criticize this film for taking risks — it’s a bold and sprawling vision, despite the flaws.
‘Beau’ finished in a tie for 8th place on our mid-year polling of more than 100 critics. The people that like this film really like it, and they include not just Bong but also Martin Scorsese.
This past April, Scorsese called the film “remarkable,” adding that Aster is “one of the most extraordinary voices in world cinema.” Previously, Scorsese also also had glowing praise for Aster’s “Hereditary” and “Midsommar.”
This past Month I wrote that Aster’s next film was titled “Eddington,” and would be a contemporary western set during the pandemic. The film was originally supposed to shoot this summer, I’m not sure if it’s been delayed due to the writers strike.
“Beau is Afraid” is available digitally on VOD.
And just like that, after Venice and Telluride, the Best Actor race is taking shape, with Andrew Scott (“Elsinore”) and John Malkovich (“Wild Horse Nine”) emerging as major contenders.