In ‘Eddington’, The year is 2020, peak of the pandemic. Sheriff Joe Cross (Joaquin Phoenix) of Eddington, New Mexico finds himself being pushed to his limits by Mayor Ted Garcia’s (Pedro Pascal) enforcement of the mask and health mandates put out by the CDC. Joe decides to run in direct opposition to Ted for mayor in the town’s upcoming elections, sparking a personal and bloody political race.
Joaquin Phoenix plays Joe Cross, the lead of ‘Eddington’. Cross is clearly more Conservative-leaning, but he starts out as a “good guy”, and acts as a decent enough guide into the darkness and insanity. There are portions where Phoenix is fleeing from those who wish him harm that feel very similar to Beau is Afraid, but overall this is one of the more different roles that Phoenix has received as of late. There’s still some pratfalls, clumsiness, and awkwardness but beneath all that lies a toxic combination of hate, anger, and fear.
Pedro Pascal plays Ted Garcia, the mayor of Eddington. He’s more Liberal-leaning, and has been receiving a lot of criticism lately for his push to get an AI facility built outside of Eddington. Ted isn’t exactly the most likable person as, when a council member brings up some issues with his proposal, he mutes his mic to say “Will someone fucking shut this bitch up.”. He doesn’t seem like a great mayor as he has a clear superiority complex (as does Joe).
Emma Stone plays Louise, wife to Joe. Louise has a traumatic backstory, but only really serves one purpose and not much else. Not to mention Emma Stone marrying Joaquin Phoenix? GROSS!!! Austin Butler appears briefly as Vernon, a seductive new-age cult leader. Vernon, much like Louise, is given very little to do. He doesn’t amount to much by the end, and is forgettable.
Luke Grimes plays Guy, another deputy at the police department. He’s got some questionable beliefs, and tends to be more eager to act than others. Michael Ward plays Michael, a black deputy at the police department who finds himself torn between wanting to join the protests in town and upholding his duty as a member of the law. He’s the most likable and sincere of the cast, and his arc is ultimately not too dissimilar to Joe’s.
Cameron Mann plays Brian, a high-schooler who gets swept up into the protest movement due to his crush on the movement’s leader, Sarah (Amélie Hoeferle). Horferle and Mann share some chemistry, even despite the screenplay asking them to act in exaggerated or ridiculous ways. Brian in particular proves to be one of the more important side characters in the film.
‘Eddington’ is Ari Aster’s fourth feature film. In it, Aster uses the COVID-19 pandemic to craft a neo-western satire about how good people can become violently radicalized. It’s imaginative, it’s creative, it’s weird. It also doesn’t have much new to say.
Darius Khondji ( Delicatessen, The City of Lost Children, Se7en, Evita, Alien: Resurrection, The Ninth Gate, The Beach, Panic Room, Funny Games 2007, The Ruins, Midnight in Paris, Amour, The Lost City of Z, Okja, Uncut Gems, Bardo: False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths, Mickey 17) is in charge of cinematography. This marks the first time Pawel Pogorzelski isn’t shooting an Ari Aster project since the two’s team up back in 2011. The camerawork here is still impressive, crisp, and clear. It’s not bad, but you can still tell something is different this go-round.
The rest of Aster’s usual crew returns and all do their usual great work. The editing by Lucian Johnston is sharp and purposeful. The Haxan Cloak/Bobby Krlic is joined by Daniel Pemberton (LittleBigPlanet video game, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse) to craft the score. The score is used to up the tension and anxiety throughout, especially during an intense protest/riot later on.
Ari Aster has a lot he wants to say and comment on, from student political activists to pandemic-era fears and anxieties, and a whole bunch of stuff in-between. Everything he’s trying to tackle could be interesting, but the ideas and commentary don’t fit neatly into the same film. The threads get messy and the focus gets lost.
The town of Eddington, New Mexico is fictional but feels like it could be real. The time spent with the student activists helps to flesh out the town and some of its citizens. The film keeps threatening to boil over into town-wide violence, but ‘Eddington’ doesn’t take things as far as it could have or should have.
The pandemic/COVID-19 commentary film genre is one that doesn’t have much longevity. The pandemic was a number of years we’d all prefer not to think about as the trauma is still fairly fresh. Aster’s take on COVID is likely the most creative and entertaining we’re going to get. There’s much that rings true and is recognizable despite being satire.
While what it has to say isn’t anything new and the proceedings can get messy, ‘Eddington’ still has a great amount of technical merit to it and is a very well-made film. This movie doesn’t take sides, instead taking jabs at all parties and in so doing invites us to laugh at ourselves. ‘Eddington’ is ultimately attempting to explore how a good person could become a violent radical, and why people choose the sides they do. It’s not his strongest effort, but ‘Eddington’ continues to showcase the unique talent and voice that Ari Aster is.
3.5 STARS
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