A Wild Trip To Eddington
he only thing I knew going into Eddington was that “Pedro Pascal and Joaquin Phoenix yell at each other.” And yes, that does happen—but the film is so much more. So buckle up: pop a Xanax, throw on a tinfoil hat, slap on a mask, and prepare for a wild descent into Ari Aster’s latest fever dream.
Eddington is about America. That’s the simplest way to explain it. The film manages to touch on nearly every major issue facing the country today, including:
Social media
Mental health
Racism
COVID-19
The economy
Conspiracy theories
Artificial intelligence
Climate change
Gun violence
Political division
Cults
Abortion
Corruption
Fertility
Police brutality
Xenophobia
Interpersonal trauma
Social justice
Elections
Homelessness
Native American sovereignty
And somehow—miraculously—it’s not heavy-handed.
Set in a small rural town in New Mexico during the height of the COVID pandemic, just before and after George Floyd’s murder, Eddington follows Sheriff Phoenix and Mayor Pascal, whose opposing views on masks and mandates fuel growing tensions. Phoenix resists mandates to "protect freedoms,” while Pascal supports public health efforts to curb the virus.
From the opening scenes, I felt anxiety and PTSD bubble up. Though I weathered the pandemic in the Midwest suburbs of Ohio, Aster nails the emotional tenor of the time—just in a different setting. If that period was traumatic for you, this film is going to hit hard.
But the political clash is only part of it. Phoenix and Pascal have tangled personal histories, too—including Pascal’s ex-wife (played by Emma Stone), now married to Phoenix, and suffering severe mental health issues. Her condition is worsened by her mother’s descent into online conspiracy rabbit holes, which leads both women into a Q-like cult.
Things unravel quickly. A homeless man brings COVID into town and infects Phoenix. Meanwhile, a shady AI company lobbies to build a data center, introducing a new layer of corruption. What starts as a small-town pandemic story spirals into chaos.
By the time protests erupt in the wake of George Floyd’s death, Phoenix is battling respiratory illness and descending into madness. Emma Stone and her mother sink further into cult life. The town is collapsing—and it’s painful to watch.
There are no clear heroes here. People are trying to do the right thing, others… not so much. But the lines are blurred—like Phoenix’s feverish vision.
Eventually, the sheriff makes a series of horrendous choices that snowball out of control. He even attempts to frame a deputy for his crimes—and nearly gets away with it.
The film’s climax is a gut-punch: a violent shootout with well-funded right-wing terrorists masquerading as Antifa. It’s gruesome, shocking, and will absolutely make you squirm.
Eddington is not for the faint of heart. It’s dense, relentless, and brutal. But it’s also timely, unflinching, and worth watching—if you’re ready for it.
There aren’t enough trigger warnings in the world for this movie. But if you can brave it, Eddington offers one of the most raw cinematic snapshots of modern America ever put on screen.
