Politics is a grubby business in writer-director Ari Aster’s fourth feature, which continues a steady descent into madness from his impressive debut Hereditary via the gore-slathered terror of Midsommar and apocalyptic tragicomedy Beau Is Afraid.
The New York-born filmmaker reunites with actor Joaquin Phoenix for a tonally haphazard portrait of small-town life set in May 2020 when paranoia percolated as communities came to terms with the impact of isolation, social distancing and the emergence of an invisible killer in their midst.
Eddington is a blackly humourous western thriller that pits two men of the people against each other in an increasingly acrimonious war of words, backdropped by divisive discourse, social media tribalism and the Black Lives Matter movement.
An unwieldy 149-minute running time (nearly 25 minutes shorter, thankfully, than Aster’s previous picture) tests patience as much as a murky script that intentionally drags its heels until a fanciful final act explodes into life in a hail of furiously traded bullets.
Phoenix’s controlled central performance is less showy than Beau Is Afraid and draws attention to the disjointed storytelling, which short-changes a starry ensemble cast including Pedro Pascal, Emma Stone and Austin Butler.
Ineffectual small town sheriff Joe Cross (Phoenix) is openly resistant to the mask mandate implemented by incumbent mayor Ted Garcia (Pascal) in the New Mexico town of Eddington, arguing that it’s difficult to breathe through the face coverings in the sweltering heat.
Ted is seeking re-election on the promise of economic prosperity from the construction of a data collection centre close to town.
An embittered Joe puts his money where his unmasked mouth is by running against Ted in the forthcoming election, and the law man recruits fellow officers Guy (Luke Grimes) and Michael (Micheal Ward) to promote his manifesto to bewildered voters.
The political stand-off coincides with Ted’s son Eric Garcia (Matt Gomez Hidaka) and friends Brian (Cameron Mann) and Sarah (Amelie Hoeferle) answering the call of Black Lives Matter, bringing social activism to the streets and potential conflict with Joe and figures of authority.
Meanwhile, the sheriff struggles to deal with his emotionally unstable wife Louise (Stone) and her mother Dawn (Deirdre O’Connell), who have been charmed by cult leader Vernon Jefferson Peak (Butler).
Eddington struggled to win my vote despite assured performances, impressive production design and a slickly staged night-time shootout that affirms Aster’s artistry behind the camera.
It’s a slow and steady slog through civil liberties and conspiracy theories that is either unwilling or unable to articulate its points in a timely manner.
Humour sporadically hits a target, including an emotionally manipulative election campaign video that registers as amusingly plausible in the current climate of romanticised Make America Great Again patriotism.
Rating: 5.5/10
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