Beau Is Afraid Explained | Ending Explained

I hope this A24 Beau Is Afraid Explained / Beau Is Afraid Ending Explained / Beau Is Afraid Movie Explained helps anyone who may be confused. I loved this movie for its direction, story, and its message in so many ways, so it was really fun to do this breakdown. I did lots of research and thinking, and I think I've wrapped my head around it. Here is my explanation of the movie and the ending. Hope you like it! Beau Is Afraid starring Joaquin Phoenix, Armen Nahapetian, Patti LuPone, Zoe Lister-Jones, Amy Ryan, Nathan Lane, Kylie Rogers, and Parker Posey, directed by Ari Aster is a new 2023 movie. Tune into this Lucas Blue Explained to find out the meaning of Beau Is Afraid. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. I would love to discuss!

This is a spoiler-filled Beau Is Afraid Explained video by Lucas Blue.

Let me know your thoughts about Beau Is Afraid or any of your favorite psychological horror movies in the comments below. I love hearing the opinions!

Outro Song: Let Go

Director: Ari Aster
Cast: Joaquin Phoenix - Armen Nahapetian - Patti LuPone - Zoe Lister-Jones - Amy Ryan - Nathan Lane - Kylie Rogers - Parker Posey

[lucasblue]

Hope my research and ideas help you out and offer some new insights! What were your thoughts and ideas around Beau Is Afraid? I would love to discuss! Let me know below!

[ThecrazyJH]

Walking out of the theatre in silence while you see people doing the same on screen was surreal

[SnuffleUffagus]

Personally I really enjoy the foreshadowing at the beginning where a mom takes a controller for an rc boat away from her son and the toy boat flips . I thought it was a good way to summarize this movie before you even watch it.

[cristianross]

I really like how beau is asking for help right before his boat flips, and the camera cuts to people with popcorn and drinks, just like us. And as he is crying for help the audience just watches and treats it as spectacle. Kinda a commentary how there are very obvious signs of mental illness and a need for help in front of us, but we just don’t do anything.

[ChristhianFerenc]

I don't know if it has already been mentioned, but when Beau's boat collapses and people start to leave, you hear the same dialogues as when Beau was born. A fair way of saying that he will never have happiness because it is a constant cycle of anxiety, generational trauma and schizophrenia.

[everythinghits]

Very solid explanation! One thing stuck to my mind after watching Beau, and it was the successes of his mother. The film showed Mona’s accomplishments in a timeline that had Beau’s picture in some of the advertisement magazines. If I can recall correctly, she had businesses that had to do with medications, shelters, and therapy. All of which Beau had to partake in without knowing his mother was the supplier of all those things in his life. His therapist was her friend, who then specifically prescribed Beau with medication her company put out, and he lived in the shelter she owned. I believe it was Mona’s heartbreaking plan to see if Beau’s love for her was strong enough to overcome his mental state of mind by visiting her in a timely manner. Once her plan failed, staging her death was the only way to bring him home sooner. Not to mention… the paid death of his caretaker/housekeeper Martha (who probably was the only one of his life who showed him true love) was the reason for his aggression towards his attempt to strangle his mother. Not sure if my thoughts make sense after all the emotions I went through during this watch, but just wanted to leave some food for thought. Overall, I loved this movie and felt so bad for Beau. Joaquin is THEE man!

[Charlie-pubx]

Here are some things I noticed about the film as well.
Am I the only one who thinks there was some childhood sexual abuse towards Beau? The way she looked and spoke to him while laying in bed, the explicit description of sex she told him as a child, her seemingly being envious of Elaine who Beau is attracted to. It would also explain his fear of sex in adulthood due to the trauma of sexual abuse.
I also noticed there's a LOT of trauma/fear around water throughout the film. There's the scene where she's getting angry with child Beau at bath time - perhaps she tried drowning him?
There's also a lot of people taking pills in this film, other than Beau. Perhaps saying how prescription drug abuse is very prominent? I'm not sure.
In his mum's office, you also see a thing about a shelter that looks just like the place Beau lives. This could represent how she is "sheltering" him from the real world and how she tries to come across as a caring person to the outside world, when she is actually abusive.
There's also a lot about Beau being filmed without his knowledge. This is a classic sign of schizophrenia - the feeling of constantly being watched and having your mind read. Real patients with Schizophrenia have even described and illustrated machines that read their minds and film them.

[boseager]

Mona, Beau’s Mother, controls every aspect of his life; Including Beau’s free will. Beau “incriminates” himself by simply having his own individual needs and boundaries outside his mother’s control. Mona, like all narcissist or psycho/sociopaths, view relationships as objects or tools to be used, including her own children. Abuse by people with these disorders happen in a cycle; which causes their victim’s personality to be eroded, their emotions disconnected, and doubts about their own reality. Mona, is a CEO of a mega corporation with her company’s logo on everything in Beau’s apartment; in which she is able to control Beau’s life in a “Truman Show” like way. Beau is constantly “incriminating” himself throughout the movie; by the end, he’s pleading with Mona to take him back. Essentially starting the cycle of malignant narcissistic abuse over and over again.

[MisseverythingNewNew]

Overall I feel like Beau is unaware of actual danger. Beau had absolutely no concern for the brown recluse, running through the glass door, the ppl in the woods, the guy that’s tracking him, his mother’s lies, or the dark cave and waters. He has no actual understanding of himself or the world around him. Only his fears and what his mother told him. He is on a journey in a cycle of fear, guilt, and death.

[afishcalledjuan]

It was great to see a movie that makes us ask "What does this mean?" Rather than "Why was this made?"

[kelvint]

not much people are talking the symbolism of liquid and water, which most pivotal scene has. even Ari mentioned in a Q&A that the ending was supposed to feel like ejaculation, and that Beau has been wanting an orgasm his whole life. from the baby being surrounded by the liquid in the womb, to the therapist asking Beau about going back to a poisoned well to drink its water, the lack of water while swallowing pills, the bath scene, the paint scene, Beau's imaginary family and himself being drowned, Elaine dying after Beau ejaculates, Mona strangled and falling into a small aquarium with no water, and of course the final trial. it's almost like the presence of liquid symbolizes Mona's overbearing poisoned love that ultimately drowned Beau.

also with every death in the movie, the relationship becomes more and more personal. from the Birthday Boy Stab Man victims on TV, to the death of presumably his neighbours, to Toni (someone Beau thought he can be friends with), to the 'father' who died on top of Mona, the 'father' who got shot, Elaine, Mona, and finally Beau. every death becomes increasingly more personal to Beau.

[EmoBoi]

It was crazy how they all worked for MW too. Also the Father’s name was Harry Wasserman. The trial scene was so traumatizing because of the fact that the one person who was on his side ultimately gets killed because they only cared about the loud voice from Mona’s attorney.

[chrisbrocknc]

I think that everything after Beau falling asleep on his mother's couch was a dream that ultimately symbolizes that Beau will never escape his feelings of guilt and his anxiety. It starts as a teenager like 'wet dream' and after his climax turns into a nightmare ending when he is on trial in front of the nameless people who constantly judge an anxious person. I loved this movie, but will need to watch it many more times.

[skeptical]

I don’t know if it’s sad or exciting to say that I’ve never resonated with a movie like I did this one. While some beats of Beau’s life may not be exact to mine, the depiction of constant anxiety, dread, and guilt is so accurate. After watching it all I could think of is “wow that movie felt personal… like someone just spilled all of their anxieties out for the world to see”

[mattlawson]

One of my favorite parts is when he’s on the phone and Jeeves is running around. It’s both hilarious and terrifying. It’s so odd because it’s funny but the guy is really physically intimidating and you can see how afraid Beau is.

[paulblart]

this is a top tier breakdown. For a movie that so harshly divides its audience, it’s refreshing to see such a sharp take on a film that I feel, for the bullets you articulate, IS an unironic masterwork; at the very least for the points you’ve made clear. You’ve earned a new subscriber 🤝

[brandadse.]

Pretty spot on, fav guy was the HELP ME HELP ME HELP ME HELP ME. Also I don’t think you touched on how they all worked for his mom, could see them in that montage pic. Also love the play experience / bleed into the audience - kinda did that to us with the credits as they left the stadium and we left the theatre.

[GGcomment]

This breakdown is excellent, thank you for doing this! I just watched Beau this afternoon and I'm still processing it. I think I may watch it again, but I'll mention two other things I noticed:

- All the posters, graffiti and signs around Beau's neighbourhood and apartment have all negative sexual connotations. I remember there being a sign in one scene that said "Death by Fucking", possibly alluding to what happens later with Elaine?

-Along with the themes of generational trauma reminiscent of Hereditary, the way the defense lawyer dies in the final scene (falling face first into a rock) definitely reminded me of Midsommar

[bluescat]

I’ve seen the film twice, on IMAX, and have seen several reviews - and I must say this is the best breakdown of the plot I’ve seen. It was almost like a professional therapy session, so insightful and perceptive. Thank you for doing this. You’re very good at what you do👏

[whoeverthisguyis]

The Truman show if it was a horror movie