Notes on the AACU

AACU == Ari Aster Cinematic Universe

Common AACU Phrases

• “You’re fucked”
  Beau, Beau is Afraid
• “What?” spoken with the implication that the protagonist has said something stupid
  Hereditary, Beau is Afraid

Repeated AACU Vignettes

• Birthday Boy Stab Man appears and stabs people
  Beau is Afraid, C’est la Vie
• Beheading/decapitation
  Hereditary, Midsommar, Beau is Afraid (All features)
• Determinism discourse
  All features
• Emotional repression, depicted
  All features
• American iconography
  Midsommar, Beau is Afraid, C’est la Vie

American filmmaker Ari Aster at the Los Angeles premiere of his film Beau Is Afraid, April 10, 2023. © Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

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