Joaquin Phoenix confronts Pedro Pascal in the complete trailer for Ari Aster’s Eddington.

      Reuniting with Joaquin Phoenix following the polarizing and notably anxiety-inducing Beau Is Afraid, Ari Aster returns with his fourth feature film. His western, Eddington, which had its world premiere in competition at Cannes, features a cast that includes Pedro Pascal, Emma Stone, Luke Grimes, Austin Butler, Deirdre O'Connell, Micheal Ward, Clifton Collins Jr., William Belleau, Cameron Mann, Matt Gomez Hidaka, and Amélie Hoeferle. With a release date of July 18 approaching, A24 has released the complete trailer.

      Here’s a brief synopsis: “In May of 2020, a confrontation between a small-town sheriff (Joaquin Phoenix) and mayor (Pedro Pascal) ignites tensions as neighbors are turned against each other in Eddington, New Mexico.”

      Rory O’Connor noted in his review from Cannes, “Eddington is undeniably ambitious, a period piece set in an era that was just four iPhones ago, addressing issues that many would prefer to avoid. Richard Nixon had only two years left in office when All the President’s Men premiered, yet most Americans at that point accepted it as the appropriate decision. Taking place during the tumultuous summer of 2020, a time the world is still grappling with, Eddington is exploring a fresh wound. The director’s decision to center the film on Cross—an anti-masker who chooses to challenge the popular Garcia for mayor—adds a provocative, albeit potentially misguided, layer. The character’s poorly developed beliefs (along with Phoenix’s unusually vague performance) keep him perpetually distant. We never truly access his thoughts, which renders his eventual downfall (or Falling Down) feeling both bleak and dramatically lacking. (The fact that the only characters acting in good faith are a Black cop, Michael [Michael Ward], and members of the adjacent Pueblo community may speak to the limitations of Aster’s satirical insight.)”

      You can watch the trailer below.