Beau is Afraid is the best movie I've seen this year, but ironically, I'm afraid to tell people

I watched the movie Beau is Afraid about a month ago, and I think it's one of the best movies I've ever seen. It's tough because it's not a movie you can recommend to everyone, and I'm not saying that to sound pretentious. I mean sure, I am an artistic marvel and I understand creative intricacies others miss, but this has nothing to do with that. The movie is three hours long, and it personifies anxiety in a way that can be hard to digest. It's a complicated movie, but my God it resonated with me. 

Let's address the elephant in the room, the main character's name is Beau, as is mine. Beau is not the most common name, and even when you do come across it it's typically "Bo"...so the fact the main character and I share the same name and the same unique spelling automatically makes me feel like a narcissist for liking this film. Sure, it's nice to see some Beau representation in cinema, but I would love this movie even if the main character's name was Jimmy Haslam, and that's saying A LOT. 

But the name of the main character aside, Beau is Afraid is a movie that has stuck with me. Since watching it four weeks ago, there hasn't been a day that's gone by that it hasn't popped into my mind. Without getting too personal, I also struggle with anxiety. The way this movie distorts reality, and paints it in a way that reflects the mind of a highly anxious person is incredible. 

Yesterday, I was sitting in my house, and for no reason at all I started to worry about someone breaking in. There was no reason for this intrusive thought to burrow its way into my psyche, and ironically, it was my anxiety that was the intruder, and my mind was my house. But...the way I was able to talk myself down, was thinking about Beau is Afraid. Just thinking about the scenes in the movie when Beau envisions intruders breaking into his apartment, and how ridiculously exaggerated it is portrayed. Reminding myself of that scene allowed me to see my fear for the ridiculous thought it was. 

I usually try to keep my blogs light and honestly I wasn't expecting this to be heavy. Some people get uncomfortable when mental health is a topic of conversation, but I don't want this to cause any reader discomfort. Again, I actually found the movie Beau is Afraid incredibly comforting. Not only was this a tremendous leap forward for the portrayal of Beaus it was also a fantastic portrayal of anxiety. 

I don't know anyone who has seen this movie, but I would love to talk to someone about it. I am afraid to recommend it to people because I liked it so much, and I'm afraid it won't resonate with folks the same way it resonated with me. I am also afraid to recommend it because if I tell someone to watch Beau is Afraid I am opening up a situation where someone will make a comment about the irony of the shared name. I am also afraid to recommend it because as a highly anxious person I am just generally afraid of things. I guess you could say Beau is afraid.