Unpacking the Nightmarish Odyssey of Ari Aster's 'Beau Is Afraid'

Ari Aster's 2011 short film "Beau" has been scrubbed from the internet, but it served as the inspiration for his screenplay "Beau Is Afraid." The short film features a neurotic character named Beau who is afraid of leaving his apartment unlocked. The short is a mix of horror and comedy, a sensibility that is present in Aster's later works. The character of Beau was originally played by Billy Mayo, who also starred in Aster's AFI thesis project. The final version of "Beau Is Afraid" differs from the 2014 draft, with more emphasis on Freudian mommy issues and a different ending.