Writer-director Ari Aster revels in the uncomfortable. His third feature BEAU IS AFRAID is probably his most straightforward example. Aster plumbs the depths of psychosis through the lens of his nebbish title character to explore human existence. Think Camus but with a nasty sense of humor. In short, Beau (Joaquin Phoenix) is a miserable schlep that spends his existence in fear, hence the title. He plans to make the trek to visit his mother (Patti LuPone) when one mishap after another gets in his way. Aster fiendishly crafts a fever dream of existential pathos and tosses in the psychological ruminations of a sycophantic mama’s boy seeking validation to create a gloriously absurd film.  A kaleidoscope of genres, BEAU IS AFRAID quite the journey.

The film opens as Beau returns from the psychiatrist to his chaotic neighborhood. He bolts past the riot of dangerous characters and into his apartment. This sequence, the one that covers Beau’s skittish existence in the real world has to be my favorite. Here Aster plays up the comical perception of the world that his title character lives into Tex Avery levels of insanity. Planning to fly home to visit his mother, a last minute fumble keeps him from being able to leave. The next morning his mother is dead. Wracked with guilt, Beau must make it home to her funeral. Still, the chaos around Beau has other plans.

Beau plays an ineffectual victim to the waves of adversity that keep him from his goal. Here it is getting home, and as told in flashback, remaining true to his first love. Along the way, we meet a host of Chandleresque characters and scenarios. There’s the creepy family populated by Roger (Nathan Lane) and Grace (Amy Ryan). Then there is the oddly altruistic collection of nomadic thespians wandering the forest. That’s not to mention Jeeves (Denis Ménochet) who has the specific direction to pursue Beau and tear him apart. All of this is a framework to explore the neurosis behind perceived expectations and oedipal guilt. Aster flexes the notes that he feels will mine the deepest truths and, for the most part, he gets it right.

I would like to pause this review for a moment and advise the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to just go ahead, package up the Oscar for Production Design, and have it ready for Fiona Crombie next year. This is some beautiful work that takes us through various worlds, not the least of which is a stunning sequence exploring the effect of theatre on Beau’s journey. I would next like to say that LuPone may have an Oscar nomination ahead for her imperial matriarch of foreboding and all-knowing ferocity. Finally, Parker Posey pops in to offer yet another acerbic turn in her repertoire. One downside is that while Beau Phoenix does an exceptional job with the title character, he is given one note to play throughout the film. He does his best but we are never offered anything else.

At one minute short of three hours BEAU IS AFRAID is surprisingly brisk yet it does slow to emphasize. Do not be misled by marketing. The film is not horror but at times it IS horrific. The horror here produces a range of responses from sympathy to shock to laughter. Aster understands horror and its utility as a means of catharsis. Here he strips away the “horror” and explores the same themes with other tools. For the most part, it is a successful pivot in a new direction for Aster. There are some truly bizarre missteps but his aim is true.