It’s June 2, 2020. The pandemic is in full swing, and the small town of Eddington, New Mexico is descending into madness. Paranoia, mask wars, and a battle for control of the town—this is the backdrop of Ari Aster’s newest descent into chaos.
The trailer for “Eddington” has just dropped, and it looks just as unhinged as you’d expect from the director of “Hereditary,” “Midsommar,” and “Beau Is Afraid.”
Aster’s latest is a black comedy western set during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The film had its world premiere at Cannes last month, where it competed for the Palme d’Or, but was met with polarizing reviews. A24 is again behind the wheel, and the film is set for a July 18 theatrical release.
The story centers around a standoff between Sheriff Joe Cross (Joaquin Phoenix) and Mayor Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal). When Cross refuses to wear a mask in a local grocery store, he ends up launching a mayoral campaign against Garcia, igniting a culture war that tears through the town.
It’s about halfway through when “Eddington” changes. Joe, flailing in his campaign, levels a devastating accusation against Garcia that turns the tide not only of the election but of the film itself. What had been comic becomes tragic. The satire morphs into a neo-western, a political thriller, and finally, something close to horror.
Yes, Eddington is an ensemble piece—Emma Stone, Austin Butler, Luke Grimes, Deirdre O’Connell, Micheal Ward, and Clifton Collins Jr. round out the cast—but at its heart, this is a Phoenix-vs-Pascal showdown wrapped in Red vs Blue political theater. It’s provocative, satirical, and very much an Ari Aster film.
You’ve been warned.