The new movie from the creators of “Midsommar” and “Hereditary”: First trailer for “Beau Is Afraid” starring Joaquin Phoenix

A24 and Ari Aster? That just fits. In any case, the collaboration between the celebrated studio and the exceptional director with “Hereditary” and “Midsommar” has resulted in two masterful genre cinemas, which ultimately went far beyond the boundaries of classic horror cinema. Ari Aster is one of those contemporary directors who are not only able to challenge their audience (especially emotionally), but also have a very special knack for the quirky, distorted and disturbing. This makes Aster’s cinema not only extremely exciting, but also extremely unpredictable.

That impression now seems to be confirmed with “Beau Is Afraid”, the new film by Ari Aster. After the release of the first poster, which showed protagonist Joaquin Phoenix in four different life stages, it was clear that this was definitely NOT conventional entertainment. The first trailer, which has now been released, increases the anticipation even further.

Great expectations

The expectations of “Beau Is Afraid,” which was originally “Disappointment Blvd.” would be called, are of course gigantic. After all, Ari Aster has delivered two absolute highlights in a row with “Hereditary” and “Midsommar” – and now has to prove to fans and critics that he is also capable of completing the triple. But there are few doubts about that. Not in the least because of the efforts of Joaquin Phoenix in the lead role, who chooses his projects neatly and hardly ever goes wrong in recent years.

Joaquin Phoenix also plays Parker Posey (Blade: Trinity), Stephen McKinley Henderson (Dune), Denis Ménochet (Inglourious Basterds), Michael Gandolfini (The Deuce), Zoe Lister-Jones (How It Ends”), Nathan Lane (“Only Murders”) In The Building”), Patti LuPone (“American Horror Story”) and Kylie Rogers (“Yellowstone”) joined the cast. Ari Aster also wrote the screenplay. It is not yet known when “Beau Is Afraid” will be released in Germany.