This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the movie being covered here wouldn’t exist.

A paranoid man embarks on an epic odyssey to get home to his mother in this bold and ingeniously depraved new film from writer/director Ari Aster.

For in-depth thoughts on Beau Is Afraid, please see my colleague Payton Coelho’s review from its original theatrical release here.

Video Quality

Lionsgate Home Entertainment brings Beau Is Afraid to Blu-Ray with a sterling 1080p video presentation in its original 1.85:1 that perfectly captures the naturally evolving aesthetic. The image is virtually flawless with the palette shifting from a more sickly palette early on to a more bright, candy-colored experience as the strange odyssey unfolds. The film luxuriates in splashes of bold colors within the production design and clothing, which makes for a sumptuous image.

The highlights show no signs of blooming, and the black levels are very deep and inky with little in the way of digital noise and only slight banding. The flesh tones are natural with a striking amount of detail present in close-ups, especially when it comes to all the scrapes and wounds. The presentation provides a substantial amount of depth on display, especially in the exterior locations. The carefully crafted production design, along with the fabrics of the clothing, provide crystal clear textural details. While we feel this one deserved a 4K UHD Blu-Ray, this is a solid presentation for the feature.

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray comes with an effective DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that brings this story to life famously. Dialogue is key throughout, and it always comes through clearly without being clipped by any competing sounds, even when characters are mumbling. The odd developments come at an uneven tempo, but the environmental sounds of the world consistently keep the track engaged in the surround speakers in a really pleasing manner.

Ambient noises are carefully placed in the rear channels. The score of this film emanates through the speakers in a deliberate, well-balanced way. There are a few exaggerated moments in the film that engage the low end such as some confrontations with maniacs, but this is unlikely to bring down your house. The audio track provides the nuanced execution you crave from it. There are optional English SDH and Spanish subtitles provided.

Special Features

Finally Home – Making Beau Is Afraid: A nearly 16-minute behind-the-scenes piece in which the cast and creative team discuss the origins of the project, why it was so exciting to tell this story, the deeper themes being explored, the visual aesthetic, the work of Joaquin Phoenix and the ensemble, and much more that offer a good, brief overview of the film.

Final Thoughts

Beau Is Afraid is the definition of a big swing from a director who is using up their one chance to completely lose their mind on screen. Ari Aster deserves this chance, and the results are quite fascinating to unpack. The movie is far from flawless, as is expected when going down such an ambitious and personal path. The movie is too long to sustain this core idea, but it is entertaining even when it is not working towards its own best interest. The performances are terrific all around, and the care put into crafting this version of reality is beyond reproach. Lionsgate Home Entertainment has released a Blu-Ray with a pretty great A/V presentation and a decent special feature. If you love Ari Aster and are open to exploring unconventional cinema, this is a captivating journey, but it is not for the faint of heart. Recommended

Beau Is Afraid is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Lionsgate Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.