Naman Shrestha
Written and directed by Ari Aster (‘Hereditary‘ and ‘Midsommar‘), ‘Beau Is Afraid’ is a horror comedy-drama movie that stars Joaquin Phoenix (‘Her’ and ‘Joker‘) as Beau Wassermann, an anxiety-ridden and mild-mannered man. He maintains a volatile relationship with his overbearing mother and has never known anything about his father. Suddenly, when Beau receives the news of her mother’s unexpected demise, he embarks on an epic journey back home to attend her funeral. However, during his surreal odyssey, he must confront some of his greatest fears, insecurities, and wild supernatural threats along the way, making it a metaphorical journey for him.
Patti LuPone, Nathan Lane, Amy Ryan, Kylie Rogers, Parker Posey, and Stephen McKinley Henderson are playing supporting yet pivotal roles, all of whose performances add more flair to the drama movie. The epic journey of Beau is portrayed by some regular sites in the backdrop and a bunch of surreal imagery and visuals, adding more depth and meaning to the narrative. Thus, it is natural for you to wonder where ‘Beau Is Afraid’ was shot. Luckily, we have gathered all the information about the same!
Beau Is Afraid Filming Locations
‘Beau Is Afraid’ was filmed in Quebec, specifically in and around Montreal. As per reports, principal photography for the Joaquin Phoenix starrer commenced in late June 2021 under the working title ‘Disappointment Blvd’ and wrapped up in October of the same year. Quebec’s vast and versatile terrains make it an ideal filming site for different productions, including ‘Beau Is Afraid.’ Now, let’s follow Beau in his Kafkaesque yet transformative journey and get a detailed account of all the specific locations that can be spotted in the horror comedy movie!
Montreal, Quebec
Most of the pivotal sequences for ‘Beau Is Afraid’ were lensed in the city of Montreal, with the production team setting up camp in different streets and neighborhoods to shoot key portions against suitable backdrops. They reportedly utilized the facilities of Grandé Studios at 1852-1870 Rue le Ber, where several interior and graphic scenes for the movie were recorded.
The film studio is home to 13 sound stages ranging in size from 1,200 to 21,000 square feet, multiple in-house workshops, warehouses, storage areas, and production offices with security. Providing all the necessary services to the filmmakers, Grandé Studios is an ideal shooting location for a movie like ‘Beau Is Afraid.’ Furthermore, the off-island suburb of Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville in Montreal served as one of the prominent production spots for the Ari Aster directorial.
In an early April 2023 interview with Deadline, the director Ari Aster talked about his experience working with Joaquin Phoenix. During the conversation, he shared an on-set incident about how the actor fainted while Patti LuPone, who portrays Beau’s mother in the movie, was engrossed in shooting a scene. He revealed, “There was a scene that was very intense for Patti, and it was a shot that was on Patti, it was not on him, and all of a sudden, he fell out of frame. I was really pissed because it was a really good take. It felt confusing, so I went around the corner, and he had collapsed.”
Aster recalled, “I knew it was bad because he was letting people touch him, and people were tending to him, and he was allowing it. The point is that he fainted in somebody else’s take, he wasn’t on camera, and he was helping them, he was in it for them to the point where he collapsed. It’s very poetic that he collapsed in somebody else’s shot.”
Read More: Is Beau Is Afraid Based on a True Story?
