This week brings a wealth of varied new movies, comedy specials and series to streaming services, so here’s a list of highlights and what to watch every day this week, based on the new releases.
On Tuesday, Ari Aster’s Grand Guignol of anxiety and mommy issues, “Beau Is Afraid,” became available for purchase on digital platforms. This sprawling, epic, guilt-ridden odyssey follows Beau (Joaquin Phoenix) as he attempts to pay a visit to his mother (Patti LuPone), encountering harrowing, absurdist and violent obstacles along the way, while he ponders the potentials of his life unlived. While Aster is known for his horror films “Hereditary” and “Midsommar,” “Beau is Afraid” doesn’t quite fit into a specific genre, though it is a deeply hilarious and wholly unique slice of cinema from one of our most fascinating visionaries. You’ll be puzzling through its visual jokes and sheer audacity for days.
The next day, decompress from the three-hour “Beau Is Afraid” with something short and sweet, and just in time for Father’s Day — documentarian Jay Rosenblatt’s Oscar-nominated short documentary “How Do You Measure A Year?” This 30-minute doc features a simple but poignant gambit: an interview with Rosenblatt’s daughter Ella every day on her birthday, in which the filmmaker asks her the same questions. It’s a beautiful, intimate and revealing device to illustrate the passage of time, the brevity of childhood and the delicate evolution of a father-daughter relationship. Stream it Wednesday on Max.
