Beau is Afraid
NZ release: 20 April 2023
Violence, sexual violence, offensive language and content that may disturb Rated on: 05 April 2023
What’s it about?
A series of surreal misfortunes leads Beau further and further away from where he wants to go. When he finally gets there, he finds out what his life has amounted to.
The facts
- Director: Ari Aster
- English language
- Runtime: 179 minutes
- Aster describes the film as “like a Jewish Lord of the Rings, but he’s just going to his mom’s house”.
Why did it get this rating?
Violence
Most of the violence occurs in the first act of the film, and gives a sense of fear and anxiety. Many of the violent things that happen are absurd and shown quickly, but are extreme. Younger viewers may not be able to understand the context of these events.
A person is accidentally hit by a van before being stabbed. The impact from the van is not shown in detail, but the stabbing is shocking and these injuries are shown close up.
A person with a gun opens fire on a group of unarmed, innocent people before being stopped. The scene is edited in a rapid way with bloody injuries shown in short bursts before cutting away.
Sexual violence
Two people have sex, with both male and female nudity shown. One of them is initially reluctant, but the other dismisses this. It’s then revealed that someone was watching them nearby. The scene is unrealistic but could distort younger viewers’ ideas of relationships and consent.
Content that may disturb
The behaviour of some characters is dangerous and unexpected. This adds to the absurdity and horror of the film, but is likely to shock and disturb younger viewers.
Several people are shown eating large amounts of prescription drugs. One attempts to get high by drinking a dangerous substance but takes too much and dies.
Cruelty
The film contains several unhealthy and cruel relationships. One person has a huge amount of control over another’s life, taking extreme steps to make them feel guilty and ungrateful.
A crowd of people laugh as they encourage a person to jump off a building. A body is then shown in the street. It’s suggested that they jumped, but this is not shown.
Offensive language
Strong language like “f**k”, “c***”, “fa**ot” and “s**t” is used in parts of the film. Some of this language is used aggressively.
Nudity
One man is briefly shown from the front with no clothes on.
Further information
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