Credit: Alamy

Martin Scorsese calls Ari Aster “one of the most extraordinary voices” in cinema

Tue 18 April 2023 18:17, UK

Ahead of the release of the film Beau is Afraid, director Ari Aster received some words of encouragement from Martin Scorsese. Beau is Afraid is Aster’s third album with the film studio A24 and chronicles the journey of Joaquin Phoenix’s Beau as he goes through the trials and tribulations of going to his mother’s house.

When shooting the film, Aster mentioned having an epic scope for his latest film, comparing it to Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings, only centred around going to this woman’s house. Aster also mentioned that this would be a more comedic angle than his previous films as well compared to his work on psychological horrors like Hereditary and Midsommar.

During a Q&A at a special screening of the film, Scorsese had reportedly called Aster “one of the most extraordinary new voices in world cinema”. Scorsese has been known for his own takes on character pieces as well, such as The Wolf of Wall Street and Goodfellas. Aster has also been an outspoken fan of Scorsese, counting Raging Bull and Taxi Driver among his favourite movies from him.

Ahead of his latest film, Aster also talked about moving beyond the lines of genre with future projects, saying that he was warming up to the idea of a western for his next film.

Beau is Afraid is set to premiere on April 21st, 2023.