10 Best Horror Movie Performances Of 2023
3. Joaquin Phoenix As Beau Wassermann - Beau Is Afraid
One day, Ari Aster will make a nice normal film about puppies and rainbows. Until then, he'll keep churning out stuff like Beau is Afraid.
The mind behind Hereditary and Midsommar returned in 2023 with this sprawling, mind-bending horror comedy starring Joaquin Phoenix as a man one step away from a nervous breakdown who must take a seemingly simple trip to attend his mother's funeral.
Spoiler alert - it's not simple. Not simple at all.
In a film where some truly bizarre and frightening things go on, none of it would mean anything were it not for Phoenix's masterfully grounded performance. He sells Beau's anxiety perfectly, never once straying into the realm of pantomime that he could so easily inhabit in such an over-the-top environment.
He's just the right balance of real in an otherwise surreal picture, and it really helps tie everything together. Also, he's in pretty much every scene of this three-hour epic, which must have been exhausting.
Phoenix was recognised for his efforts with a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor, so hopefully all that hard work will pay off.