'Eddington' is the Definitive Post COVID Film
Every once in a generation, a movie is made that perfectly encapsulates a national tragedy. For 9/11, it was United 93. For COVID, it's Eddington. Like 9/11 films, other filmmakers tried to tackle the material but made generic adaptations that either made the tragedy part of the background or tackled obvious talking points. None of which captured the madness of that period. Ari Aster (Hereditary, Midsommar, Beau Is Afraid) approaches the material with his knack for horror wrapped around the burrito of a dark comedy. The comedy in the film, unlike most comedies, is drawn from its horror.
By horror, I'm not talking about jump scares. More like psychological terror stemmed from stupidity. As a friend once told me, "COVID was a test to see how we'd handle the end of the world. And we failed." Eddington is a story about that failure. Our failure to listen to the science when it was obvious. Instead of covering our faces with a small piece of cloth, we complained about it. Americans love to say they'll do anything for their country, but when it came to even the slightest inconvenience, the American public divided itself in rhetoric. One side was right and the other was wrong, but we had no leader to bring us together.
Joe Cross (Joaquin Phoenix) is the embodiment of an ill-informed nation that lets fear dictate his every decision. Sadly, he's also a leader. Joe's the town Sheriff of Eddington, New Mexico. Initially, he's a keeper of the peace. Although Sheriff Cross is an anti-masker who leans to the right, he respectfully approaches every hostile situation. Early on in the film, there's a homeless guy who breaks into the local tavern for a drink. Everyone in the bar is masked up except for the homeless man and the Sheriff. The bartender tells Joe he should be wearing a mask, as Joe politely tells him it's okay, when in fact, it's not. The incident doesn't end well for Joe. Nor do many other moments where Joe tries to maintain solidarity, but is swept up in a storm of hostility.
At the forefront of the movie's ads is Joaquin Phoenix standing off against Pedro Pascal. Pascal plays Ted Garcia, the Mayor of Eddington. Both men stand for wildly different viewpoints on COVID. Their relationship is similar to one you'd find in a western, where even one encounter is filmed like a standoff from a Sergio Leone flick. Ted is the left-leaning, sensible person, while Joe goes from moderate to extreme really quickly. Was he always an extremist, or did social media make him that way? The movie hints that Joe was once a good man, but he let misinformation get the best of him. Through his doom-scrolling on his phone, Joe slips deeper into madness.
Soon, Joe is making uneducated opinion videos of his own. At the same time, the other side cuts down his incident with the homeless man earlier in the film, depicting him as the aggressor when in fact, it was the other way around. Joe's resentment for the mayor, who stands for common sense, leads Joe to a very dark place from which he can't return because it can't be a movie starring Joaquin Phoenix unless Phoenix doesn't lose his marbles. Nutty Joaquin has become more of a predictable stable than an effective plot point these days. Then again, what else can you cast the guy as? He's naturally creepy.
When Joe begins to slip, the movie reaches its most divisive points. Either you're going to love the direction Ari Aster takes, or you're going to hate it. I loved it, but I'm also conflicted. The movie transitions from a believable hyperrealistic commentary on social media's algorithm, which reinforces our personal beliefs rather than encouraging us to step outside our comfort zone. Or dare I say, check reputable news sources, to a full-blown parody that defies scientific logic. Also, did we need to see Joaquin Phoenix's junk for a shock laugh? If that really is his member, then atta boy! The movie has various instances where it goes so far that it loses itself in its zaniness, stripping itself of any realm of believability. Yet, it's also admirable for that.
Eddington is the definitive movie about COVID because it has the type of guts that most other films don't have. It's not afraid to be highly critical of American hysteria while primarily bashing one side of the aisle. Aster is saying, "If this offends you, then kick rocks." 2020 proved that Americans can be selfish, bigoted people who fail to listen to common sense. Yet, is it we who shape ourselves into monsters, or is it the data that social platforms push on us? When living under constant terror, who's to say a Sheriff who deals with nothing but a crumbling social infrastructure around them wouldn't snap themselves?
The best films aren't the ones that are crowd pleasers. It's the ones that challenge us. The ones that reward the viewer upon repeated viewings. It's the movies that aren't afraid to piss some people off. Eddington is a fantastic film that carries some noticeable flaws. This movie could have ended thirty minutes earlier and been just as effective. Yet its third act goes on like a never-ending train to crazy town. One that you'll never forget.
