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    Movie Review

    Joaquin Phoenix takes 3-hour Kafkaesque journey in ultra-weird Beau is Afraid

    Alex Bentley
    Apr 20, 2023 | 2:33 pm

    In writer/director Ari Aster’s relatively brief feature career, he has already established himself as a horror filmmaker of note, helming the acclaimed Hereditary in 2018 and the gonzo Midsommar in 2019. As creative and interesting as those films are, they have nothing on the out-there energy that inhabits every second of his new film, the three-hour long Beau is Afraid.

    Joaquin Phoenix plays Beau, an anxiety-ridden milquetoast who is barely capable of stepping out of his own apartment. He lives in a hellhole of a neighborhood where the streets are filled with unsavory characters, a naked man stabs people regularly, and a general feeling of danger pervades the area.

    When Beau receives news that his mom has died, his attempts at getting back for her funeral are repeatedly delayed, including encounters with Grace (Amy Ryan) and Roger (Nathan Lane), a well-meaning but strange couple; a theater troupe that lives in the woods; and more. All the while, Beau finds himself remembering and/or hallucinating about his childhood, his possible future, and the meaning of his life.

    The term “Kafkaesque” has be applied to a lot of different movies over the years, but Aster has made a film with the concept firmly at the front of the story. The absurdity of the world through which Beau lives and travels cannot be overstated. Some people seem relatively normal on the surface, but almost everyone acts in wholly unnatural manners, as if the off-the-wall things taking place around them aren’t actually happening.

    The film is so packed with bizarre sights and occurrences that you can almost forgive its inordinate length. Weird stuff happens constantly, making for a highly entertaining story that’s also enormously confusing. There are times when Aster keeps the camera stationary on Beau's face for what seems like minutes, and despite the slowness of these and other scenes, Aster has sufficiently conditioned the audience to patiently wait for the next crazy thing to occur.

    Anyone hoping for more horror from the burgeoning horror auteur is mostly left wanting. While much of what Beau experiences in the story is worthy of its own section in hell, very little qualifies as something that would scare modern audiences. There is way more comedy in the film, as it's next to impossible to witness all the inexplicable spectacles it has to offer and not laugh, despite the occasional tragic event that happens.

    Phoenix is uniquely suited for this role, as he’s shown the ability to be a chameleon throughout his career. The sad-sack nature of Beau comes through in almost everything he does, and the bewilderment he expresses makes him the ideal avatar for the audience. Also great are Ryan, Lane, Parker Posey, Zoe Lister-Jones, and, in a late but crucial role, Patti Lupone. A special note should be made of finding Phoenix doppelganger Armen Nahapetian to play the young Beau; the fact that he’s real and not a CGI creation is perhaps one of the strangest things in the film.

    It takes a certain level of patience to stick with Beau is Afraid all the way through, but those who do will be rewarded with an imaginative story that never stops being thought-provoking, even if you’re not entirely sure what Aster is trying to say.

    ---

    Beau is Afraid opens in theaters on April 21.

    Armen Nahapetian and Zoe Lister-Jones in Beau is Afraid
      

    Photo courtesy of A24 Films

    Armen Nahapetian and Zoe Lister-Jones in Beau is Afraid.

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    Outside Ideas

    New podcast series uncovers hidden gems found at Texas parks

    Brianna Caleri
    May 27, 2025 | 7:15 pm
    Better Outside podcast host Morgan O’Hanlon
    Photo courtesy of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD)
    Podcast host Morgan O’Hanlon captures ambient sound from a river.

    Outdoorsy Texans have a new way to keep track of conservation initiatives within Texas' parks. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) launched a new podcast on May 21 called Better Outside, available on all major podcast platforms.

    A press release promises that listeners will "travel the woods and waters of Texas through an array of awe-inspiring stories about conservation, recreation and the outdoors."

    The podcast does mean "travel" in a literal sense, taking listeners out in the field to experience the environments firsthand. They'll have a knowledgeable guide in host Morgan O’Hanlon, who is a senior writer at Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine, as well as TPWD executive director David Yoskowitz.

    “People are at the core of conservation work in Texas,” said Yoskowitz in the release. “I’m excited for you to hear their voices straight from the field, so they can share why the work they do matters and the impact it makes.”

    David Yoskowitz and Morgan O\u2019Hanlon recording Better Outside podcastDavid Yoskowitz and Morgan O’Hanlon record in the studio as well as in the field.Photo courtesy of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD)

    Some examples of the work featured include creating a new trail across the state, touring an existing park, and restoring bighorn sheep (which were on the brink of being wiped out by 1900) in West Texas. Another episode in the Hill Country follows feral hog bounty hunters. Although well-informed listeners may already know about some of these subjects, the podcast specifically hopes to focus on hidden gems and expanding horizons.

    “I love adventure sports and am excited to inspire people to try new, and sometimes scary, things,” said O’Hanlon. “In our episode on the Devils River, I took my non-outdoorsy mom on one of the state’s most feared paddling trips. You’ll hear straight from her about the challenges I put her through — and why she would do it again.”

    Better Outside isn't TPWD’s first podcast. It was Under the Texas Sky, which launched in 2019 and followed similar themes, with a notable focus on culture. Some episodes followed the Indigenous history of Texas parks, cowboy poets, and chefs who are involved in sustainable farming and cooking. Under the Texas Sky stopped being made when its host, longtime Passport to Texas radio host Cecilia Nasti, retired.

    The new podcast is sponsored by the Austin-based Whole Earth Provision Co., which originally opened in 1970 as a real-life manifestation of the Whole Earth Catalog, and is now a cross between a camping, home goods, and outdoorsy gift store. It operates six locations in total in Austin, San Antonio, Houston, and Dallas.

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