'Beau Is Afraid' filmmaker reflects on 'expected' backlash

Beau Is Afraid director Ari Aster opened up about his black comedy film, led by Joaquin Phoenix.

During an interview with Indiewire, the director said, “If anything, I’m very aware of the backlash, people who never want to hear my name again,” he continued. “It’s the nature of the internet right now makes it a weird time to create work. The reactions are so immediate, so superficial in so many ways. I’ll have periods where I do engage and it’s always such a bad idea because it gets into my head. A huge part of making new work is about doing my best to divorce myself from that and not have it affect my thinking.”The 36-year-old also said he tends to focus on his negative side of fame.

“My personality is that if somebody likes me I tend to lose respect for them, but if they have an issue with me, I start to take them seriously,” he said. “It’s not healthy. It’s all just neuroses.”

Meanwhile, the film will hit theatres on April 21.