Always a provocateur, Ari Aster delivers a new film that sharply satirizes the current state of the U.S. and its origins. While this movie is very different for the filmmaker, Eddington shows that Aster is capable of doing much more than horror and the unusual. I did not know exactly what to expect from his latest offering, but now I know that Aster, at least through this film, definitely has a solid grasp on the pulse of America and why we are currently where we are today.
In Eddington, New Mexico, a small, uneventful town, the people cope with the national onset of the COVID-19 virus, and this movie shows how they react to the impact on their community. While Sheriff Joe Cross (Joaquin Phoenix) is genuinely concerned for the safety of his community, he also feels that everyone there is overreacting to a threat that seems so distant from his sleepy town. At the same time, Mayor Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal) is all about enforcing safety measures to keep his people safe. After the two butt heads over safety protocols, the sheriff decides to run for mayor in the next election. At the same time, the entire world is in a peculiar state, and the internet has become a toxic environment for misinformation and conspiracy theories, further fueling a boiling pot of violence.
Ari Aster is mostly spot-on with his satire here. All that he expresses about the characters in this movie superbly reflects the state of our nation right now. Ignorance, misinformation, and how that misinformation fuels further ignorance is the essential theme of Eddington. In just 149 minutes, Ari Aster has captured much of what has been happening in our country since 2020. At the same time, he employs a neo-Western style to convey his message effectively.
The movie is absolutely riveting, tense, and mostly uncomfortable, but that is what makes this story work so well. The film addresses not only ignorance when it comes to medical science but also racism and unfounded conspiracy theories that have no viable foundations in truth. Eddington is a movie that reflects how fear drives people to horrible places, and how some of these fears are ridiculous.
I was very pleased with the cast of this movie, but the main standouts are Joaquin Phoenix and Emma Stone. I also appreciate the acting of Austin Butler, who portrays a cult leader who rises to prominence and gains a significant following during the national crisis.
Eddington is not feel-good cinema, nor should it be. It serves as a bleak and stark reflection of humanity. Nevertheless, it is essential viewing that is well-crafted and executed. It may serve as a wake-up call for people who have been undecided since 2020 about the state of th