Eddington (2025) - Film Review

      Eddington, 2025.

      Written and Directed by Ari Aster.

      Featuring Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal, Luke Grimes, Micheal Ward, Deirdre O’Connell, Austin Butler, Emma Stone, Matt Gomez Hidaka, William Belleau, Clifton Collins Jr., Cameron Mann, Amélie Hoeferle, Landall Goolsby, Elise Falanga, King Orba, Rachel de la Torre, David Pinter, Keith Jardine, David Midthunder, Christine Hughes, William Sterchi, and James Cady.

      SYNOPSIS:

      In May 2020, tensions soar in Eddington, New Mexico, as a confrontation between the local sheriff and the mayor leads to conflict among neighbors.

      With Eddington, writer/director Ari Aster moves further away from his horror origins; however, by directly addressing the peak of pandemic-era civil unrest, this may be his most unsettling film to date, still exploring themes prevalent throughout his work. It's also quite humorous, contingent on one’s perspective regarding what subjects can be deemed comedic.

      The new mask mandate has just impacted the small New Mexico town, and Sheriff Joe Cross (Joaquin Phoenix in a familiar whiny, downtrodden portrayal, though now determined to take action through a series of poor decisions) is resolutely opposed. Even his last name feels playful, as if he would rather endure a cross than witness someone being barred from a store for not wearing one, or himself having to comply with such regulations. His marriage to Louise (Emma Stone) and their home life, now complicated by her mother, Dawn (Deirdre O’Connell), has also deteriorated, as they lean towards dubious conspiracy theories more than he does.

      This emptiness, coupled with his rivalry with Mayor Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal), who presents as left-leaning yet is hiding a plan for an AI-based data plant, appears to push Joe over the edge. He impulsively decides to run for mayor, announcing his candidacy on social media from his squad car. This narrative reflects a self-destructive cycle, modernized and all the more relevant.

      Eddington's direct confrontation with the events of 2020 also addresses broader themes of radicalization, exploring the moments or dynamics that push individuals over the edge, leading to trivial non-controversies consuming their lives. For Joe, his existence has hit rock bottom, centered around the controversy over masks. As the film progresses, it takes on a wild, complementary turn typical of Ari Aster, while also reflecting the absurdities of a period piece, considering that we are still experiencing the ramifications of events like COVID, amidst today's extremely intriguing circumstances. Among contemporary filmmakers, Aster uniquely manages drastic tonal shifts with an exhilarating, tight momentum, maintaining control over the material even when it appears to spiral out of control.

      However, the story isn't solely about Joe; it also reflects the societal climate, addressing issues such as activism against racial inequality, which comes to a head with the shocking news of George Floyd’s death. Even the brief mention of this topic risks crossing into exploitative territory; yet one must question how any filmmaker can navigate this period without recognizing such a tragedy. The straightforward reply could be “don’t make the movie,” a viewpoint worth considering. For Joe, it's just an annoyance distracting him from his surprisingly humorous political ambitions.

      Ari Aster weaves satirical humor throughout, showcasing predominantly white characters engaging in absurd discourse, eventually cutting to a young adult's home where he parrots the same virtue-signaling nonsense he thinks will both 1) effect change and 2) earn him favor with a girl he likes, touching on the troubling manipulation of social justice allyship as a different form of deceit.

      Eddington also critiques the extreme actions some individuals will take to seize control or win an election, often acting insincerely and using flawed logic to justify their decisions. In Joe’s case, one of his trusted officers is Black—Michael, played by Michael Ward—a man torn between his duty and supporting the BLM movement, who may or may not have had inappropriate interactions with the same girl (allegedly 18) whom the faux activist is pursuing. Louise, on the other hand, is furious that Joe’s candidacy will bring her history with sexual abuse into the spotlight during the contentious political race, and she becomes ensnared by a pseudo-intellectual influencer portrayed by Austin Butler, who lures her online with promises of healing her pain and revealing hidden memories and spiritual clarity.

      To say these storylines are on a collision course is an understatement; the intrigue lies in how they will converge, and Ari Aster excels at immersing viewers, whether through the quirky yet grounded and fractured characters, a disorienting reality featuring gun stores like Gunther’s Guns (or something similar) reminiscent of Grand Theft Auto’s Ammu-nation, or the palpable tension heightened by regular Aster collaborators The H