In May of 2020, a standoff between a small-town sheriff and mayor sparks a powder keg as neighbor is pitted against neighbor in Eddington, New Mexico.

Now this is a far more interesting, although equally flawed film, from Ari Aster. Following on from ‘Hereditary’, ‘Midsommar’ and ‘Beau is Afraid’, which all have a claim to be amongst the most polarising and divisive films of recent years, his fourth film is likely to drive similar reactions. It is called ‘Eddington’ after the fictional small town in New Mexico where the story takes place, with the narrative set in the middle of 2020 at the midst of the global Covid-19 crisis. Previous films that have covered Covid-19 as a subject have not tended to do so well, largely as most of us would rather forget that period in our lives, so it’ll be interesting to see how this does, particularly as it layers Aster’s style on top.

Its central premise is about the battle of wills between the local mayor and the local sheriff, who disagree on mask mandates and government restrictions, leading to the sheriff to take on the mayor in the upcoming elections. That is the outline, but there is a hell of a lot more going on here that speak potently at not just our society during Covid, but our society now. The cast is led by Joaquin Phoenix as Sheriff Joe Cross and Pedro Pascal as Mayor Ted Garcia, with other important characters played by Emma Stone, Austin Butler and Micheal Ward. Aster’s previous films have had a darkly comedic edge and initially this is no exception, not quite as absurd as that opening act in ‘Beau is Afraid’, but enough to draw out some laughs as Cross and Garcia clash and bicker with each other, recalling similar discussions I’m sure all of us had a little under 5 years ago.

The story will unfold as it does, often in surprising ways, as Cross and Garcia’s debate escalates, but the most interesting elements come in how Aster manages to cover the damaging impact of online discourse on ‘actual’ society, which is as much an issue now as it was during Covid. Through some of his characters, he shows how easily it is to be drawn in by charismatic online figures or groups, and how this has made it easier to follow than think for yourself. It becomes increasingly bloated as the film progresses and doesn’t need to be 150 minutes, which dulls the impact when some of the ‘big’ moments occur, but there are some great moments peppered throughout.

‘Eddington’ is too scattershot to be wholly successful and I found it hard to engage with any of the characters, but it is ambitious and does explore some intriguing and dare I say, important topics, that it would probably have been easier to shy away from. He’s a filmmaker I’m on the fence with overall but there is no doubting he makes original movies worth seeing.

Rating: 3/5

Directed By: Ari Aster

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal, Luke Grimes, Deirdre O’Connell, Micheal Ward, Austin Butler and Emma Stone

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt31176520/