Decoding the Disturbing Messages in Ari Aster's 'Beau Is Afraid'

Production designer Fiona Crombie discusses the intricate and deliberate use of signage in Ari Aster's new film, Beau Is Afraid. The film is packed with ominous signifiers, sight gags, and sight gags that ominously signify, creating a dense thicket of symbols that oppress the protagonist, Beau Wasserman. Crombie also talks about the creation of the world of Mona Wasserman's MW corporation, which seems to control Beau's life through its wild products. The film's impossibly dense deluge of signifiers is not merely generally oppressive but specifically oppressive.