From Ari Aster and A24 – the collaborative team behind modern horror favorites such as Hereditary and Midsommar – comes the surrealist black comedy horror Beau Is Afraid. The movie centers on the title character, Beau Wassermann: an anxiety-riddled, mild-mannered man who finds himself embarking upon a reality-bending odyssey to his hometown to attend his mother’s funeral. Described as having a “fraught relationship with his [now deceased] mother” and never knowing his father, it’s clear that Beau’s past is far from uncomplicated. As he makes the journey to his hometown, Beau is met with supernatural threats and must confront his darkest fears.
Academy Award Winner Joaquin Phoenix plays the title character Beau Wassermann, with Armen Nahapetian (Daybreak) playing the teenage version of Beau. Joining them are Patti LuPone (American Horror Story) and Zoe Lister-Jones (Life in Pieces) as Beau’s mother Mona Wassermann, Amy Ryan (Only Murders in the Building) as Grace, Nathan Lane (Penny Dreadful: City of Angels) as Roger, Kylie Rogers (Yellowstone) as Toni, Denis Menochet (Inglourious Basterds) as Jeeves, Parker Posey (Lost in Space) and Julia Antonelli (Outer Banks) as Elaine, Stephen McKinley Henderson (Devs) as the therapist, Richard Kind (East New York) as Dr. Cohen, and Hayley Squires (I, Daniel Blake) as Penelope. Michael Gandolfini (The Many Saints of Newark), Theodore Pellerin (The OA), and Mike Taylor (Cardinal) play Beau’s sons.
Keep reading to find out when and where you can watch Beau Is Afraid.
Beau Is Afraid
- Director
- Ari Aster
- Release Date
- 2023-04-21
- Cast
- Joaquin Phoenix, Parker Posey, Amy Ryan, Richard Kind, Nathan Lane, Patti LuPone
- Rating
- R
- Runtime
- 179 minutes
- Main Genre
- Drama
- Genres
- Drama, Comedy, Horror
What Is the Release Date for Beau Is Afraid?
Beau Is Afraid made its cinematic debut at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema on April 1, 2023. Following this, the movie was released in select IMAX theaters in Los Angeles and New York on April 14, 2023.
Beau Is Afraid will be available to wider audiences on April 21, 2023.
Is Beau Is Afraid in Theaters?
Beau Is Afraid will be exclusively in theaters
Beau Is Afraid Showtimes
You can use the following links below to check for theater and ticket availability near you:
When Will Beau Is Afraid Be on Streaming?
At present, it is not yet known exactly when or where Beau Is Afraid will be available to stream when the time comes. However, the movie’s distribution company, A24, leads us to speculate that Beau Is Afraid could be hosted on several different platforms following its theatrical release.
Showtime has a wide range of A24 films available to stream, including recent hits like Everything Everywhere All At Once and Bodies Bodies Bodies, which leads us to believe that film will be available to stream there. You can get Showtime for $10.99 a month or for just a dollar more you can get Paramount+ with Showtime for $11.99 a month.
Additionally, A24 has its own virtual screening room, where United States residents can purchase tickets for movies they wish to see in the comfort of their own homes. Although there are no upcoming screenings in the near future it’s worth checking to see if anything changes. Past films that have streamed as part of this series include Aftersun, X, Pearl, and Close.
Don’t forget to keep an eye on this page to be the first to know when Beau Is Afraid is available to stream.
When Will Beau Is Afraid Be on DVD and Blu-ray?
As of now, there is no set date last to when Beau Is Afraid will be available on Blu-ray and DVD, but we’ll keep you updated once we know more about when the film will be available on physical media.
Watch the Beau Is Afraid Trailer
A24 released a trailer for Beau Is Afraid on its official YouTube channel on January 10, 2023. We begin with a scene from Beau’s childhood, in which his emotional mother, Mona, apologizes to Beau under the cover of darkness for what his unknown father “passed down” to him. Mona tells Beau that despite this, Beau is the “greatest gift of [her] life”. This intense exchange is immediately followed by a now middle-aged Beau telling his therapist that he will soon visit his mother. Whilst his mother can be heard via voicemail telling Beau how excited she is for his visit, we see a montage of just how isolated Beau truly is. Nervous to be out in public, we see Beau taking what we speculate is an antianxiety medication in the street, and he later breaks down in his lonely apartment at the sheer thought of traveling to the airport. Through Beau’s eyes, the trailer depicts a dangerous, overwhelming perception of the world outside the safety of his apartment. When Beau is hit by a car and wakes up in an unknown room with a monitor strapped to his ankle, the line between reality and illusion begins to blur, and Beau is plunged into a mind-bending adventure.
More Movies Like Beau Is Afraid That You Can Watch Right Now
I’m Thinking of Ending Things (2020) – A surreal psychological thriller, the movie follows a young woman (Jessie Buckley) referred to by many names as she contemplates ending her short relationship with her boyfriend Jake (Jesse Plemons). Jake takes the young woman to his family’s farm to meet his parents, but when she arrives she is disturbed and confused by the impossible occurrences around the home.
Horse Girl (2020) – Anxious and introverted Sarah (Alison Brie) lives a quiet life, only venturing out of the solitude of her apartment to attend her job at a craft store and visit her mother’s grave. During a birthday gathering arranged by Sarah’s supportive roommate Nikki (Debby Ryan), Sarah has a nosebleed that kick-starts a series of strange and surreal events.
