Director and writer Ari Aster is one of the best and talented filmmakers working today. He pushes the limits of conventional horror, making a statement on grief and toxic relationships that elevates the genre while rendering it terrifying and relatable. When Aster decided his hand at comedy with Beau Is Afraid, I was skeptical, to say the least. The dark humor of the film hooked me from the start, and I couldn’t wait to see the director’s next project. Fortunately, Aster combined his flair for satirical black comedy in his Neo-Western film, Eddington, which has become his most bonkers and ballsy movie to date.
Eddington, written and directed by Aster, is a fictional tale with heavy-handed ingredients of actual happenings. The town of Eddington, New Mexico, has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Sheriff Joe Cross, played by Joaquin Phoenix, is reluctantly trying to maintain order in his small town following government pandemic protocols. However, Mayor Ted Garcia, played by Pedro Pascal, believes that the strict rules are the way to go while he’s on his reelection campaign.
It’s at this point that Sheriff Cross throws his hat into the race, and the two come into conflict, with the situation slowly escalating.
From the top rope, the writing for Eddington is excellent. Aster leans into a modern-day metaphorical stand-off placed in the center of the story. He showcases the sparring between the two leads in comical ways, while also utilizing the descending madness of the world outside Eddington. This act leads further into the town and the mental state of Cross. What makes this so intriguing is how the outside events of the town easily reflect our history during the pandemic.
Aster doesn’t take the low-hanging fruit of pointing and laughing at society during the pandemic. What he does is take all the misconstrued messages, grifters, and lapses in judgment and sanity, and puts a mirror in front of us to watch, complete with perfect comedic beats. All of this culminates in Cross, essentially the town becoming a powder keg ready to blow, and the destruction that person leaves behind. Eddington offers a chance for us to laugh and reflect, and Aster conveys that idea with expert-level proficiency.
The acting from Phoenix and Pascal is top-notch. Phoenix embodies a bit of willful ignorance and wholesomeness at the beginning of Eddington. I believed his character as someone who was trying to do good, but going about it the wrong way. Yet, it was the end of Act 2 that his character underwent a shocking transformation, which clutched my attention and kept me guessing until the end. Pascal’s portrayal as the mayor leaned into his strengths as a charmer while showcasing that Garcia had a nefarious undertone behind him. The actor wasn’t afraid to showcase the mayor as an a**hole behind closed doors and displayed that neither of these guys were inherently good.
Undoubtedly, Aster continues to push the boundaries when it comes to filmmaking style, and the director doesn’t hold back with Eddington.
Aster takes the events outside of the small town and incorporates them as the film progresses. He does this in subtle and comedic ways that make the film fully engaging. It’s when the director uses Katy Perry’s “Firework” at the midpoint that gives Eddington a startling tonal shift, and the movie revs into insanity. I honestly couldn’t guess what would happen from that point on, and I loved every minute of it.
Eddington might be another divisive film from Ari Aster, but it’s worth watching. I fully embraced the dark humor of the filmmaker and ate up what he was saying about society during the pandemic. Aster tends to pull exactly what he needs from his actors, and this cast is no exception. The last fifteen minutes of Eddington are jaw-droppingly insane and show why the director has some serious balls.