When it was announced that contemporary cinema’s most interesting enfant, Ari Aster, was developing a COVID-19 western, it did more than turn a few heads. Tackling one of the most uncertain and anxious times in recent memory seemed like an inspired and fitting walk in the park for Aster who is known for telling unflinching and unsettling stories. Set in a fictional New Mexico town in 2020, Eddington follows local sheriff Joe Cross (Joaquin Phoenix) who is at war with Mayor Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal) and chooses to go against him in a political race amidst mask mandates, Black Lives Matter protests, paranoia, and anxiety. As the battle between the modernist (Joe) and post-modernist (Ted) builds to an unstoppable boil, the town will never be the same. Eddington is an incendiary dark comedy meant to provoke its audience. The provocation isn’t just for fun like Aster’s Beau Is Afraid (2023) or meant to crank up the unbearable tension like Hereditary (2018) or Midsommar (2019), it’s purposeful in its mission to provoke self-reflective thought in its audience rather than flagellation. It also doesn’t help that in current political times, this film is slowly being regarded more as a prophetic documentary than as a satirical portent of doom along the lines of Idiocracy (2006) and Network (1976).
EDDINGTON digipak interior. Photo courtesy of A24.
The characterizations are the best part of Eddington’s construction; the archetypes of conservative law enforcement officer versus liberal politician are so spot-on for the message this film is tackling and they’re made even better by the conservative officer being the main character. Phoenix (Beau Is Afraid) knocks it out of the park as Joe Cross, from the Southwestern small-town accent to the confused, stern stares to the hilarious line delivery and timing. Aster kicks it up a notch placing Phoenix, an actor known for playing outsiders, outliers, and doomed protagonists, in a role such as Cross. Not only does Cross match the typical right-wing archetype (he protests against wearing masks, he’s quick to dismiss the George Floyd killing as overblown, and he wants things to go back to being the “old way”), but Aster doesn’t take the easy way out with this character, he manages to also make him a sympathetic schmuck. In his sad home life, Cross is trying to restore his relationship with his emotionally unstable wife Louise (Emma Stone, brilliant with the small amount of screen time she has) and trying to cohabitate with his conspiracy theory-ridden mother-in-law Dawn (Deirdre O’Connell, also brilliant). On the flip side of this dynamic, Pedro Pascal (Freaky Tales) delivers an equally engaging performance as Ted Garcia, a politician who shares a scandalous, checkered past with Cross (which fuels their feud) and looks to the future of Eddington, including running a tech-friendly campaign to build a data center in the town. Pascal’s scenes with Phoenix are a great balance of cringe comedy and well-directed tension, the standoffs between these two ranging from hysterical to audacious to flat-out shocking.
L-R: Micheal Ward as Michael Cooke, Joaquin Phoenix as Joe Cross, and Luke Grimes as Guy Tooley in EDDINGTON. Photo Credit: Richard Foreman. Photo courtesy of A24.
Aster brings just as much depth to this film’s supporting characters as he does to its main players. Michael Ward of Empire of Light fame delivers a great performance as Michael, the only Black sheriff on Cross’s squad (which is down to three officers due to variable scandals). He’s no doubt the heart of the story as certain plot twists put him in the crosshairs of Eddington’s impending madness as a poor victim of circumstance (or politics). Austin Butler (Elvis), another actor not given enough screen time, delivers intriguing work as Vernon Peak, a charismatic cult leader whom Cross’s wife and mother-in-law follow closely online. Matt Gomez Hidaka (The Wilderness) delivers a great performance as Eric Garcia, the mayor’s entitled, rude son who throws insults at Joe Cross and betrays his best friend Brian (Cameron Mann, also great). He’s the kind of douchey kid you want to punch through the screen and Hidaka’s crude performance does the role more than enough justice. Deirdre O’Connell (Synecdoche, New York) steals the show as Joe’s abrasive mother-in-law and Amélie Hoeferle (Night Swim) does more than understand the assignment as social justice warrior-in-training Sarah Allen, a love interest of Brian.
EDDINGTON digipak exterior. Photo courtesy of A24.
Upon first watch, Eddington can feel like a well-directed mess of social commentary and comedic madness, but after a repeated viewing or two, it is realized that Ari Aster shoots every arrow (COVID-19 panic, Antifa, Black Lives Matter) with cruel precision. As he meaningfully builds the tension with his talented cast and carefully-crafted territory of paranoia and naivete, audacious violence explodes in the film’s crazy final act (in classic Ari Aster fashion). Akin to Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood (2019), it almost feels as if the cinematic troublemaker plays an exercise of restraint in the film’s hilarious first two acts. Violent third act aside, Ari makes a better swing for the fences than his last A24 entry, Beau is Afraid, and effectively fires on all cylinders, creating an incendiary piece of art that begs for repeated viewings and lengthy discussions. A24 keeps things pretty light on the Blu-ray release including a “Made in Eddington” making-of documentary and six collectible postcards. If one does not mind the lean number of supplemental features and wants to watch something that is equally funny, challenging, and infuriating, this is the release to buy.
Eddington Special Features:
- “Made in Eddington” making-of documentary (33 mins)
- Six Collectible Postcards
Available on VOD and digital August 12th, 2025.
Available on 4K UHD and Blu-Ray October 7th, 2025.
For more information, head to the official A24 Eddington webpage.
To purchase, head to the official A24 Shop Eddington webpage.
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Categories: Home Release, Home Video, Recommendation, Reviews, streaming
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