Eddington Film Review: The Return of the Wild West

Ari Aster’s star-studded Eddington is dressed as a political satire but quickly descends into an anti-government, wild-west depiction of modern Americana.

As a nation, we had nothing but time and a communal sense that we had lost something. Whether it be in a literal sense, losing loved ones to COVID, or in a figurative sense, skipping over birthdays and having to cancel milestone celebrations, COVID put the world in a stagnant state of bitterness and drove us all slightly mad. While the COVID lockdowns feel like a time and space we all wish to forget, Ari Aster embraces the darkness of these times in his introspective yet satirical modern western Eddington.

Eddington centers on the small town of Eddington, New Mexico, in May of 2020. The mask mandate has just gone into full effect, yet people are still resistant to comply as skepticism surrounding the virus runs rampant. Eddington Sheriff Joe Cross (Joaquin Phoenix, of Joker: Folie à Deux) firmly refuses to comply with any COVID-19 regulations, specifically since they are being fiercely enforced by the town’s mayor, and his sworn enemy, Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal, of The Last of Us). 

As Ted and the people of Eddington push for these regulations to be enforced, Joe begins to feel fed up with people telling him what to do. With a fragile wife at home (Emma Stone, of Kinds of Kindness) and a conspiracy theorist mother-in-law (Deirdre O’Connell, of The Penguin) who never thinks he’s man enough, Joe snaps and decides to take action by running for mayor. 

However, following the murder of George Floyd and the beginning of the Black Lives Matter protests, Joe’s position as the town Sheriff forces him to answer to those demanding change while still trying to keep his campaign afloat. What ensues is a clash of polarizing ideals, violent political unrest, rampant social media shaming and even the introduction of a charismatic, cult-like figure (Austin Bulter, of The Bikeriders). 

Ari Aster’s Eddington stands as the most damning yet accurate depiction of the state of America during the onset of the COVID-19 lockdown. The film perfectly encapsulates the way in which conspiracy theorists were able to prey on a weakened society in order to push their own agenda forward and drive the American public to a state of utter chaos. 

Eddington holds a mirror up to a country divided, potentially beyond repair, and says everyone is at fault for it. Many times when directors try and use social media within film to depict the state of the modern world, and one of the biggest ways in which we communicate with it, it feels insincere and cheap. However, in Eddington, Aster proves he is locked into the ongoing cultural conversations social media platforms are facilitating. 

The film mocks the way in which it’s become second nature for us to pull out our phones to try and document the wrongdoings of others, rather than having the courage to engage in a conversation about what is actually happening right in front of us. It similarly critiques the need to absolve ourselves of guilt while simultaneously virtue signaling to everyone that we are not part of the problem.  

But most notably, Eddington shows how fear and entitlement ruled over law and order during 2020 in America. There are no critical, objective thoughts of peace driving Joe, but rather a sense of control slipping from his fingers as Sheriff. His authority is no longer respected, signaling a country trying to reclaim itself, one social media post at a time. 

Joe has no control over his town, so he creates a state of chaos in order to try and reestablish his authority. He believes people will revert back to pre-established figures of authority, but doesn’t understand the problems and chaos he is setting into motion are going to spiral far beyond his ability to control them. 

Playing Joe Cross, Joaquin Phoenix operates in a league that is entirely his own, giving a potentially career-best performance. His depiction of Joe as a pathetic, self-aggrandizing Sheriff is as entertaining as it is fascinatingly accurate to the onslaught of middle-aged white American men who believe they are being “discarded” by a society that is attempting to level out its balance of power.

It’s clear Aster’s focus is on the progression of Joe’s character and Joe’s character alone, which is a shame given the sheer amount of talent on the film’s roster. Emma Stone, Austin Butler and even Pedro Pascal are given considerably limited screen time in service of the film’s ginormous ambitions. The biggest loss of the movie is the underutilization of their undeniable talents. 

Eddington is a western epic, the first of its kind in decades. Aster throws everything he has at the film and is able to masterfully revive the genre with a unique and modern flair. The film serves as a uniformly scathing, yet completely hilarious, screenshot of America at its very worst. While it is Aster’s most devoid of horror feature, it shows his range and capabilities as a storyteller are not limited by genre. 

Eddington premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on May 16, 2025 and will be screened again on on May 17-18. The film will be released in US theatres on July 18, 2025. The U.K. & Ireland release date is TBA.