Ari Aster. You either hate him or love him. If there’s one director who surely knows how to divide an audience with a bonkers, mind-boggling and energetic film, it’s him. His Eddington will undoubtedly do the same but in a different way. This time, he goes for a much more toned-down approach with a more straightforward and slightly moderate script. However, he might have toned it down too much on some levels.
The story certainly isn’t one of the elements that he scaled down, as there’s a lot to unpack in his latest feature. For those of you who don’t want to be reminded of what happened in 2020 – even Pedro Pascal was afraid to go back, as he mentioned during the press conference – I suggest you watch something else, cause Eddington starts in mid-2020, right at the heart of the pandemic. The fictional town of Eddington in New Mexico, which was already racially divided, has now become even more divided between the people breaking the COVID rules and the ones who don’t.
Social distancing, the people who don’t wear the masks over their nose, and the illegal raves, it’s all in there. With this movie, Aster wanted to create a feature regarding the fear and anxiety about the world then and now, and he certainly succeeded in that. However, COVID was only the key that opened Pandora’s box, as it showed the world how crazy America could be and has been ever since.
The movie isn’t afraid to truly and on a full-scale show what the pandemic did to all of us. It delves into the shifts in morality, the doomsday people, the conspiracy theories, and how social media has shaped the world over the last few years. On top of that, it’s also about privacy and human rights threats, as Aster also includes the building of a massive government-ruled technology centre and the Black Lives Matter movement.
During the press conference, the filmmaker said he wanted to be ambiguous about the topics, but when looking at the events unfolding in this feature, you can clearly tell that being ambiguous isn’t Aster’s strongest suit. For example, seeing white people kneel because they feel violated by the BLM movement makes you feel cringy. Not only because people like that exist, but also because the filmmaker portrays them as delusional narcissistic individualists who are everything but the people the riots are about. Aster might think he’s subtle in his storytelling, but he’s clearly mocking many classes and races in his own unique way.
So yes, while many different topics are interwoven into the screenplay, not one is truly and thoroughly explored. They’re all touched upon and are the basis of a fight for power between Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal) and Joe Cross (Joaquin Phoenix). The former is the current sheriff who follows the rules but uses the law for his own good, while the latter isn’t afraid to break the law if it’s for the greater good. But because of the overload of the other topics, this script– which could have been thrilling if it was played out well – and especially the performances, don’t get the chance to evolve and truly become impactful.
That becomes clear when looking at how little the filmmaker gives his star-studded cast to work with. Emma Stone (Poor Things, Kinds of Kindness) – despite trying to add as much integrity and emotions as possible – is just reduced to being Joe’s wife, Louise, who has intimacy problems. However, those problems are never truly analysed in depth. The reasons might be explained, but they’re rushed underneath the carpet without being unpacked.
A much bigger emotional focus on Louise’s reasons for shying away from sex would have allowed Stone to show us what a fantastic actress she is. However, because that doesn’t happen, she’s just a big name on the billing to attract an audience. The same can be said about Pascal (Strange Way of Life, Freaky Tales), as he barely has any scenes despite his character being the mayor of the town. However, when he’s on screen, he certainly oozes that intriguing and charismatic screen presence this movie needs, especially when he comes face to face with Phoenix.
Speaking of Phoenix (C’mon C’mon, Clay Pigeons), he’s the only one – together with the gorgeous-looking cinematography by Darius Khondji (Amour, Seven) – who can elevate the script by giving a strong performance. Whether it’s because he and Aster have worked together before or because he knows how to portray complex emotions with the utmost precision, pathos, and weirdness, we don’t know. Still, at least he can make the character and the film enjoyable. You might not feel the love Phoenix felt for his character when taking on the role of Joe and when portraying him, but at least his law-defying madman of a sheriff is an interesting and engaging enough character to go on that stuffed journey with.
When Joe takes matters into his own hands, that’s when the Aster of Beau Is Afraid and Midsommar truly comes through. It’s during those moments that the straightforwardness makes way for abstract, out-of-the-box, and dynamic filmmaking. However, it seems that for the majority of its runtime, Eddington has nothing more to offer than an overstuffed plot and a great Phoenix keeping it all afloat.
Eddington held its World Premiere in the competition section of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. Eddington will debut exclusively in theaters on July 18, 2025, courtesy of A24.
Director: Ari Aster
Screenwriter: Ari Aster
Rated: NR
Runtime: 145m
Eddington has nothing more to offer than an overstuffed plot and a great Phoenix keeping it all afloat.
-
GVN Rating
Subtitle translator by day. Film journalist by night.
