![]() It's another strange trip of a film from the mind of Ari Aster, but even those who find the entire thing dull or too confusing to engage with will likely still be able to admire just how committed Phoenix is for the (again, lengthy) runtime of the entire film. Beau Is Afraid is about Beau having the worst time in the world as he travels across a heightened version of America in the wake of a family tragedy, with his persistent anxiety and fears warping the world around him in strange, unsettling, and confusing ways. Joaquin Phoenix plays the titular Beau, and to describe this character as afraid throughout the entirety of the film would be an understatement. Yet if it were to be called an epic, Beau Is Afraid could hardly be labeled as such in the traditional sense, because the "epic adventure" at the heart of its narrative is a frequently bizarre, surreal, nightmarish, and sometimes even darkly funny one. Released the same year as Napoleon, Beau Is Afraid could almost be described as an epic, too, given how ambitious and long it is (the runtime comes in at just one minute shy of three hours). though it has to be said, Phoenix is very good here in one of his earliest offbeat and genuinely challenging roles (one of many, as subsequent years would ultimately go to show). ![]() It's an odd and disturbing movie, and in all honesty, might be best left to people who know what they're in for. Quills revolves around the controversial French writer known as Marquis de Sade, taking historical liberty while being more focused on exploring taboo topics over depicting a more traditional life story. His most unusual single film, however, might be Quills, which seems to have been forgotten to time, to some extent, despite being relatively well-received and having a cast filled with big names (principally, Geoffrey Rush, Kate Winslet, Joaquin Phoenix, and Michael Caine). Philip Kaufman has had a rather eclectic career as a writer/director, including being one of the credited writers for Raiders of the Lost Ark and directing the excellent (and long) historical epic that is The Right Stuff. ![]()
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