Eddington
How much of the plot do I give up as I discuss the ways in which Ari Aster’s “Eddington” does not work for me? I suppose the easiest way would be to say, if you’re on the fence about seeing it, this might be a review for you. If you don’t want it spoiled too much for you, feel free to wait until after seeing it yourself before reading this review.
Political satire requires a lot of things to be successful. A clear view of what is being skewered. A concise narrative. And, preferably, a running time no more than two hours. Aster’s fourth feature has none of these things, and as a result, it feels like an over bloated parody of a certain type of political movie, without the wit, sharp direction and subtle absurdity to make it work.
Joe Cross (Joaquin Phoenix) is a sheriff in Eddington, New Mexico. It is in May 2020, and even though he’s asthmatic, he refuses to wear a mask, even on local Native American land. He has a rivalry with the town’s mayor, Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal), who is trying to enforce COVID protocols like mask wearing and social distancing, as well as trying to bring a data farm that may impact the environment, but will also result in jobs to this desolate town. Their rivalry comes at a time of anxiety about the pandemic, social unrest that comes to the town, and leads to Cross throwing his hat in the mayoral race.
The timeframe is important because it brings the protests in the wake of George Floyd’s murder, and a distrust of authority. We also get medical conspiracy theories, grifters who talk of child sexual abuse that preys on people looking for answers, cover-ups of violence and the specter of “Antifa” being responsible for the unrest. In other words, Aster is pointing his film directly at the right wing conspiracy complex. If we didn’t get brief hints of this intending to be a work of satire, it’d have a lot in common with plenty of sincere right wing films like “My Son Hunter” and “Donald Trump: The Chosen” that have come out over the past decade. Where Aster loses me is his execution. This feels as though it’s meant to be a film like “Burn After Reading,” which took sharp aim at government nonsense by having it uncovered by some fairly ridiculous characters. The difference is, “Burn After Reading” had its aim in a focused direction, and “Eddington” seems like it’s throwing things at a wall, and seeing what will stick. It just hopes that you’ll appreciate the insanity of what it’s trying to do.
A more focused narrative might have landed its points. If the film had just been about the tension between Cross and Garcia, it probably would have won me over, and stuck its political punches. That would have allowed us to stick with the material regarding Cross’s wife (Emma Stone), who is taken by an online conspiracy grifter (Austin Butler) whose main pull is the sexual abuse of children, something Louise (Stone’s character) feels deeply about. Her mother (Deirdre O’Connell) is almost as conspiracy pilled as Louise, and doesn’t regard Joe that highly. Mother and daughter have pushed a narrative about Garcia that asks a lot of questions about the mayor, but given how they are “resolved,” it’s almost a dead end for Aster’s film, as is what happens in the rivalry late in the film.
Two things I can say about “Eddington” is that it is strikingly shot, with a wonderful production design. The work of cinematographer Darius Khondji and production designer Elliott Hostetter gives us a strong backdrop for the film. Unfortunately, it’s most important elements- the story and themes- sink its impact. The performances are fine, I suppose, but the tone is so scattershot that it’s hard to really gauge them. Also noteworthy in this cast are Micheal Ward and Luke Grimes as Cross’s deputies; Matt Gomez Hidaka as Garcia’s son; Amélie Hoeferle as an activist student who leads the protests in town; William Belleau as a Native American officer trying to keep Cross in line; and Cameron Mann as another student, whose ideology is convoluted, maybe playing into the idea of a “crisis actor” or “paid protester,” while other times he’s almost a Kyle Rittenhouse-type cause celeb. “Eddington” is really a mess.
