The feud between the sheriff and the mayor, the pandemic, and various political movements blow heated arguments out of proportion in Eddington, New Mexico.
Can you believe it’s been 5 years since the failed biopolitics we were all exposed to globally? Ari Aster and Eddington bring back the pandemic’s paranoia, adding further micro politics, societal pettiness recorded through phone cameras, conspiracy theories, and Black Lives Matter, represented by two astonishing actors, Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal. With them, Deirdre O’Connell, Emma Stone, Micheal Ward, Luke Grimes, Clifton Collins Jr., and Austin Butler light up the scene every time they appear.
Individual and collective (mis)understanding of political and societal issues, the media and social media, the role of identity and the sense of belonging all become a tragicomedy that builds up, builds up and builds up some more until it explodes. The uncalled violence by the government and citizens turns the situation into a chicken/egg mental burnout that will make the viewer wonder where on earth this is going. Do people know what they stand for? Do they represent what they actually stand for? Do they follow movements blindly? Does the government understand how much it is responsible for? Do government officials grasp the failed and corrupted system they and their predecessors have created? All these questions find no answer, and they were never meant to. But they pile up in people’s heads, and Eddington exaggerates the outcome of it.
After Beau is Afraid (2023) and his first collaboration with Phoenix, Aster seems to have changed his style. The raw projection of death is still present, but the horror has been replaced by mixed genres that do not necessarily appeal to mass audiences or his initial fan base. Why? Because while Eddington is exceptionally well-made, it can make one wonder why it was made. What was Aster trying to say by blending genres, politics, ideologies, and theories into one film? An attempt to follow in the Cohen Brothers’ footsteps?
There has been a tendency in the last few years to portray escalating personal and/or societal paranoia cinematically, in different forms. Suburbicon (2017): https://kaygazpro.com/suburbicon-2017-comedy-crime-drama/, The Monkey (2025): https://kaygazpro.com/the-monkey-2025/, It’s What’s Inside (2024): https://kaygazpro.com/its-whats-inside-2024/, Marshmallow (2025): https://kaygazpro.com/marshmallow-2025/, The Surfer (2025): https://kaygazpro.com/the-surfer-2025/, Weapons (2025): https://kaygazpro.com/weapons-2025/ are but a few examples.
Personally, I liked Eddington‘s mix. It is the essence of paranoia and madness that characterise the world we live in. Or it’s a mix that suggests your (people) actions don’t matter, just as ours (government) don’t. Something that begs the question, what does matter anymore, and why? When we discuss change, we often fail to understand the problems or the change we aim to bring about. And that’s why the side we oppose wins every time.
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Solidarity for all the innocent lives that suffer the atrocities of war!
Stay safe!
