Directed by Ari Aster and set in the U.S. during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, A24’s Eddington follows the sheriff (Joaquin Phoenix) and mayor (Pedro Pascal) of the eponymous town as they butt heads about, among other things, the mask mandate, the job market in Eddington, and a personal connection I won’t spoil here.
Joaquin Phoenix steals the show as Sheriff Cross as he juggles his family life, his job as the local lawman, and his spur-of-the-moment declaration of running for town mayor. Pedro Pascal delivers an understated performance as the current mayor and acts as the perfect foil to Phoenix. While the events of the film are absolutely at times fantastical, this type of small-town jockeying for control is common and captured here brilliantly.
While the film gets wild and raucous at the climax—it’s so good—Aster captures that time period perfectly, using his story to comment on the pandemic, race, conspiracy theories, and the need and scramble to feel important. The two-and-a-half hour runtime flies by, yet lets watchers marinate in this world.
