Ari Aster’s latest film,Eddington, is finally in theaters, and it’s unlike anything the filmmaker has created before. The film received a divisive response at its premiere at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, where the movie played in competition. While Aster has previously worked exclusively in the horror genre,Eddingtonmarks the director’s first foray into an entirely different genre: the western. Themovie takes place in the year 2020and follows a tense standoff between Sheriff Joe Cross (Joaquin Phoenix) and Mayor Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal) as Cross seeks to run his own campaign for mayor.
Given the relevance of the time period in whichEddingtontakes place and the controversial themes it addresses, it’s no wonder that the movie received a mixed critical response. However, the film tells a profound story about the modern digital frontier, with an emphasis on the uncertainty of the future and how our worst insecurities could get the better of us. It’s never clearer than the explosive third act of the film, which is a result of all the boiling tension and digital bubbles that the characters have willingly trapped themselves in.
‘Eddington’ Glues Its Characters to Their Screens, Leading to a Bloody Conclusion
Immediately with the opening shot ofEddington, it’s clear that Ari Aster’s latest film has adeep focus on the technologythat consumes our everyday lives. Sheriff Joe Cross is seen watching a YouTube video in his patrol car — a life advice/self-help video — which is quickly interrupted by police officers from a town near Eddington, New Mexico. Cross is just on the border of their jurisdiction, and his refusal to wear a mask or practice safe social distancing has become a point of contention between him and other figures of authority. One such figure is introduced early in the film, Mayor Ted Garcia, who is currently up for re-election. Running his campaign on COVID-19 safety and a “tech-positive” future, Cross and Garcia are meant to be polar opposites in every way.
It’s with this setup and the small-town backdrop ofEddingtonthat the movie slowly but surely builds tension and distrust in the community, all driven by technology. Every character in the film is in one way or another enraptured by a phone, laptop, or television, with each of their respective screens feeding them an echo chamber of their own beliefs. Cross’s wife, Louise (Emma Stone), and her mother, Dawn (Deirdre O’Connell), are constantly listening to conspiracy theories and religious zealots, making that household even more paranoid than it needs to be.
Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal Face Off in Ari Aster’s Bonkers Pandemic Satire ‘Eddington’
Ari Aster’s COVID-era satire ignites a powder keg of controversy as Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal battle for control of a small New Mexico town.
In the background is a mysterious tech company, called Solidgoldmagikarp, that has ambitions to build a giant data center right outside ofEddington. Garcia is determined to make that happen should he win the mayoral campaign. At the same time, Cross is equally determined to stop it if he wins, using conspiratorial rhetoric to advance his own agenda. This is all exacerbated by the real-life racial tensions in America at the time, with protests against the murder of George Floyd eventually leading to protests in Eddington. Aster touches on every aspect of these controversial issues, which further explains why the film has been so divisive among audiences.
The Horrors of Misinformation and Uncertainty Are Abundant in ‘Eddington’
Cross, who is completely enraptured by anger and the way his campaign is slowly falling apart in real life and on social media, assassinates Garcia and his son, breaking into their house and graffitiing the slogan “No justice no peace.” The phrase is meant to give off the impression that it was the Antifa movement who were responsible for the killings, with Cross fullytaking advantage of the tense political climatefor his own personal gain. However, with Garcia out of the picture and the big tech data center compromised, things begin taking a mysterious and deadly turn.
Throughout the movie, it’s hinted that Cross, who doesn’t wear a mask, is exposed to COVID-19 at the beginning of the film, and he slowly develops worse and worse symptoms with each scene. That is the least of his problems, though, as a group who are supposedly a part of Antifa attack Eddington and Cross’s sheriff department specifically, with the final 30 minutes or so of the film being a drawn-out and violent gun battle. All the assailants are masked and hidden, and the only thing known about them is that they were flown in on a private jet. It’s implied that Cross’s framing of Antifa is what led to these assailants using similar rhetoric and tactics, and while Cross kills most of them, he is stabbed in the head and left in a vegetative state.
Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal’s New “Too Close to Real Life” Western Drama Gets an Expected Rotten Tomatoes Score
‘Eddington’ hits theaters in July, but here’s what critics are saying about the Ari Aster film.
Despite all this, Cross mysteriously still becomes mayor, and although he cannot move or speak for himself, he is given credit for getting the Solidgoldmagikarp data center built and opened. Cross' insecurity and irrational, violent actions ultimately leave him vulnerable to being taken advantage of by the unseen technological forces that are actually in charge.Eddington, much like Aster’s previous work,Beau Is Afraid, takes the fears andanxieties of everyday people and amplifies themby bringing them to life in a movie. In this case, it’s all the turmoil of 2020 wrapped up in an intense Western.
The Ending of ‘Eddington’ Speculates About America’s New Frontier
Martin Scorsese is quoted as sayingthatEddington"dives right into the side of American life that many people can’t bear to look at or even acknowledge." Aster’s movie encapsulates all the collective fear, digital tribalism, paranoia, and worst-case scenarios of 2020 into oneslow-burn westernwith a bloody and violent conclusion. The ending ofEddingtonis a culmination of one man’s distorted perception of reality, as the digital bubble he inhabits eventually transforms him into someone without control over their actions and thoughts. The film concludes with a shot of the massive data center in the center frame, with the town of Eddington dwarfed by it in the corner of the screen — America is entering a new frontier, and not even Aster knows where it’s headed.
More than anything,Eddingtonis the culmination of Ari Aster’s feelings during the tumultuous year that was 2020. While it only happened five years ago, the backdrop feels like a necessary reminder of how America, as a country, has ended up where it is right now. While there are no concrete answers aboutwhoJoe Cross was fighting at the end of the film, or what exactly Solidgoldmagikarp was doing with its data center, it’s the uncertainty that’s the most important aspect ofEddington.
