“Eddington” emphasizes modern day cultural conflicts

It’s 2020 in the small fictional town of Eddington, New Mexico in the wake of Covid-19. The mask mandate has just come in, and social distancing has been strongly recommended by the government.

Aptly named for the fictional city it takes place in, acclaimed horror director Ari Aster’s “Eddington” came out just two months ago, reaching theaters at the beginning of July. I was one of the first people to watch it who didn’t attend its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival just one month earlier.

One thing that I really appreciated about this movie when watching it that other critics had a hard time with was how apolitical it was, despite the inclusion of political issues and characters. The two mayoral candidates, Ted Garcia and Joe Cross played by Pedro Pascal and Joaquin Phoenix respectively, do not represent one political party or the other. 

Garcia is a proponent of the Covid-era safeguards, but is also a corporate shill who wants to build a large, environmentally detrimental data center. On the other hand, Cross is much more in favor of small government, and while he is against the safeguards, he also cares greatly for the environment and the well-being of Eddington’s people, more so than the superficial Garcia.

However, the number one thing that makes this movie so perfect, that grants it the high honor from IndieWire’s David Erlich as the “first truly modern western,” is how it utilizes the setting of the pandemic. One of the most memorable scenes for me aside from the entire third act (which I will not spoil for you) is the first really tense exchange between Garcia and Cross outside of the aforementioned grocery store. 

The way that the scene plays out, including Pascal and Phoenix’s impeccable performances, it very obviously takes cues from the classic standoff found in many Westerns. Garcia and Cross, socially distanced so as to mirror the 20-pace distance between duelers, fight with words instead of bullets. 

Another trope quite typical of westerns is the use of empty roads to stage chases, duels, and other confrontations. Quite conveniently, during the pandemic many roads were deserted, so there are many scenes that take place on the empty roads that feel quite like a western. In a notable example, Cross, who is a sheriff, travels slowly around town in his police vehicle decorated for the campaign for large parts of the movie, emulating an Old West sheriff on his horse

I think that this movie really does everything well. It is really difficult to film a great second act that enthralls you the whole time, but Aster certainly weaves the drastically different first and third acts together splendidly without being too convoluted or lazy. 

Similarly, this movie has been one of the first to navigate lampoon political issues and the pandemic well with nuance. The movie is effortlessly humorous and dark at the same time, and I would be glad to recommend it to any viewer. “Eddington” has been on Amazon Prime Video since Aug. 12.