Thanks to Ari for letting us sit in on his bewildering self-therapy. BEAU IS AFRAID is best described as an epic anxiety horror. It could certainly be considered funny, but funny-peculiar. Beau (Joaquin Phoenix) is a man-child still under the thumb of his abusive real estate magnate mother (Patti LuPone) despite living hundreds of miles away from her. While preparing to visit, he receives a call to say his mother has died suddenly and his journey becomes one to make it in time for her funeral, mishap after mishap befalling him in the process. Aster’s films are certainly an acquired taste and the three hour runtime and surrealist tone of Beau certainly won’t help convert the uninitiated. But Phoenix is mesmerising, the undeniably ambitious film serves up some images you’ll never see elsewhere and at least some of you will find this hilarious. SSP