A star rating of 3 out of 5.

The last time Joaquin Phoenix and director Ari Aster worked together, it was for 2023’s incendiary Beau is Afraid, a primal psychodrama about a man with a mother fixation. Veering towards the extreme, it wasn’t for all tastes, but then that’s the world that Aster operates in. His first two films, Hereditary and Midsommar, similarly re-worked the horror movie in his own image, creating two utterly unforgettable experiences.

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His latest feature Eddington, which marks Aster’s first film in competition in Cannes, is another big swing, even if it takes a long time before picking up the bat. Set in the small New Mexico town of Eddington, it begins in a very specific time frame of late May 2020. The world is in lockdown due to COVID-19, masks are mandatory and fear is spreading (“People are dying of this thing”).

Not that you’ll probably need reminding of a time that was just five years ago, and will likely be scarred into your psyche. Aster takes a big risk, asking us to relive that horror show. While this dustbowl town of Eddington may be far from the epicentre of coronavirus, no-one is immune. But Phoenix’s Sheriff Joe Cross, an asthmatic, refuses to wear his mask, even in stores, a decision that brings him into conflict with popular town mayor, Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal).

There’s more to the mix, given Garcia has a rumoured history with Cross’ ailing wife Louise (Emma Stone, looking like she’s channeling Sissy Spacek). She’s also fallen under the spell of Vernon Jefferson Peak (Austin Butler), an tattoo-clad online guru who preaches that “evil is sentimental”. Cross, though, has more immediate problems as tensions escalate with Garcia. He further pokes the bear when he decides to run for mayor himself.

In the backdrop, the Black Lives Matter protests spark up in the wake of the true-life murder of George Floyd that took place in Minneapolis. Suddenly, Cross and his team, Guy (Luke Grimes) and Michael (Micheal Ward) face rising tensions as protestors come together in the Eddington streets to demonstrate against police brutality. Dipping into black comedy, Aster seemingly mocks here the hypocrisies of white liberals fighting against racial intolerance.

Meanwhile, at a party at Garcia’s house, Cross arrives to turn the music down, only to be twice face-slapped by the mayor, leaving his glasses half-off. What follows shouldn’t get revealed to preserve enjoyment, but the focus is very much on Phoenix’s character as he becomes increasingly unhinged in the face of this take-down. Maybe you’ll buy it, maybe you won’t, although a tache’-wearing Phoenix is as splendid as he always is, even when the plot spins out of control.

Also set in a world of false prophets, data harvesting and deep fakes, Eddington shows us an existence where lies are spread in nanoseconds and everyone lives their lives online. Aster appears to be railing against the terrors of technology, with Cross, at one point, muttering: “How did we get here?” He appears to be our Everyman figure, a man like Peter Finch in Network who is as “mad as hell” and “can’t take it anymore”.

You might call Eddington a parable for our times, although in days gone by, this western-tinged story of vengeance would have been wrapped up inside a Hollywood B movie. Be warned, though: at two-and-a-half hours, Eddington truly takes its time before shots are fired. It’s a film overflowing with ideas, which is something to be praised, even if it all feels like a hot, toxic mess. A shame that the editing couldn’t have been more brisk, for this really could’ve been a killer piece.

Eddington will be released in US cinemas on Friday 18th July 2025, while a UK release date has yet to be confirmed.

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Authors

James Mottram

James Mottram is a London-based film critic, journalist, and author.

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