We’ve known, for a while now, that Martin Scorsese is a big fan of Ari Aster. Several years ago, the legendary director raved about Aster’s second film, “Midsommar.” Now, as Aster receives some of the harshest critiques of his relatively young career, thanks to his third film, “Beau is Afraid,” Scorsese is there to back him up, yet again.
During a Q&A alongside Ari Aster (via A24), Martin Scorsese talks about the young filmmaker’s career, up to this point, and how he believes Aster is one of the best directors working today. Not only that, Scorsese compares the reception of “Beau is Afraid” to that of “Barry Lyndon,” which is now seen as one of Stanley Kubrick’s best works.
“One of the most extraordinary new voices in world cinema, right here,” said Scorsese about Aster.
In the discussion, Scorsese compares the divided reception of Aster’s new film, “Beau is Afraid,” to that of Stanley Kubrick’s “Barry Lyndon.” The filmmaker remembers watching “Barry Lyndon” with friends back in 1976 and how it mirrors what Aster is experiencing now.
“They got up, they were furious. They hated it. Hated it. 15 to 20 years later, they can’t stop watching it,” said Scorsese. “Something happened in terms of the originality. When it’s that original, you go into it like it’s a bullfight. You go into it, and you’re in the arena. And you’re going to get gored here and there because it’s a matter of the risk taking. That’s so unique and so powerful. There are very few filmmakers on this level doing that, I think.”
To say that critics are divided on “Beau is Afraid” is a bit of an understatement. There are some folks who swear the film is one of the worst ever created. Then you have reviews, such as our own, which praises the originality and thinks the film works on many different levels. Clearly, this is going to be a film that is discussed for years to come, and perhaps Scorsese is right about how it will be due for re-evaluation in a decade or so.
For now, you have to assume Ari Aster will be just fine. Even though ‘Beau’ is likely not going to be a massive box office hit on the same level as “Hereditary” or “Midsommar,” there’s no denying that folks absolutely adore the filmmaker’s previous work and will be excited to see what he does next. They might also be secretly hoping he goes for something a bit “safer,” instead of the genre-pushing dark comedy of ‘Beau.’
“Beau is Afraid” is in theaters now.