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Plot Summary: Joe Cross, the sheriff of small-town Eddington, New Mexico, constantly butts heads with incumbent mayor Ted Garcia who is running for reelection. With the COVID-19 pandemic on the horizon, Garcia promises Eddington residents that he can lead them safely through the turmoil. Cross begs to differ and runs for mayor with a different perspective and agenda. Issues that at first seem like faraway problems begin to close in on the small town. When pressure rises, who will save Eddington against all odds? 

Runtime: 149 minutes

Director: Ari Aster

Writer: Ari Aster

Main Cast: 

• Joaquin Phoenix as Joe Cross
• Pedro Pascal as Ted Garcia
• Emma Stone as Louise Cross
• Austin Butler as Vernon Jefferson Peak

Review by: Lauren C.

Eddington is set during 2020, and the plot directly reflects attitudes, events, and conversations that occurred in reality in the United States during that time. However, it does not add an interesting perspective to what we all experienced. It nearly feels like a rehashing of the experience, forcing us to relive the past five years on screen. Aster seems to believe that he is holding a mirror up to society and demanding that we question ourselves and reckon with how Covid changed us. But the execution of the film feels more like being strapped to a chair and being forced to watch the endless scroll of a social media feed (which Joe Cross, played by Joaquin Phoenix, does frequently during the film). And like the endless march of chaotic posts down a social media feed, the runtime is a two and a half hour conveyor belt for a messy and convoluted plot.

A major gripe of mine is the fact that the audience is led to believe that several characters will be significant to the plot, but the characters in question are soon unceremoniously sidelined. One suffers a gruesome death, while others simply disappear from the plot and later reappear briefly as if to quickly tie up loose ends. Now, I have no issues with a fun twist or turn, but I couldn’t help thinking that the excommunicated characters would have added to the connective tissue of the film or even created a better story. 

On the bright side, the film is quite funny. Neither side of the political aisle is spared. Aster reveals the hidden motives that some people have lying behind their public displays of support for social justice. Fame, influence, power, and sex are shown to drive some activists, rather than a true commitment to equality. Aster also addresses the paranoia and anti-intellectualism of those who believe every conspiracy theory and let hate and fear guide their actions. 

The bloody final shootout was also very effective. Joe Cross’s one-man army is captured with a composition that perfectly highlights the protagonist while casting the dimly lit streets in shadow–obscuring the enemy and conveying the sense they could be around any corner.