Direction: Ari Aster
Country: USA
American writer-director Ari Aster ventures into new territory with Eddington, following two unforgettable entries in horror—Hereditary (2018) and Misdommar (2019)—and the far-fetched psychological black comedy—Beau is Afraid (2023). Eddington is a disturbing neo-western set in the fictional small town of Eddington, New Mexico, during the Covid era. Its bleakly comic vision of America’s violent culture unfolds through Joaquin Phoenix—in his second collaboration with Aster—who plays a lawless, asthmatic sheriff spiraling out of control after deciding to run for mayor. Emma Stone plays his moody, cult-bewitched wife, while Pedro Pascal portrays his progressive political rival.
The film is uneven, often veering into excessive satire, but it’s also sparked by occasional flashes of inventive twists. The plot takes on the form of a hallucinatory nightmare, saturated with sardonic humor and sharp social commentary—an uncomfortable, potent reminder that alienation is here to stay. Aster channels the spirit of the Coen brothers to portray a vortex of collective American madness. The viewer is submerged in a world of protests, lies, opportunism, manipulation, humiliation, conspiracies, obsession, crime, and cults. The pervasive restlessness and instability of the characters mirror today’s chaotic reality.
Unfortunately, the film loses steam and unravels after the madcap chase that marks its violent climax. Still, we forgive Aster, who, despite the narrative decline, delivers full-throttle filmmaking in what stands as his most overtly political work to date.
