Ari Aster’s ’Eddington,’ about America losing its mind in 2020, finds a mixed reception at Cannes

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CANNES, France — Ari Aster’s COVID-era Western “Eddington,” about a 2020 America quickly losing its mind to conspiracy theories, TikTok and political extremism, premiered to a mixed reception at the Cannes Film Festival.

“Eddington,” starring Joaquin Phoenix as a muddled, mistake-prone sheriff who runs for mayor in a fictional New Mexico town, was among the most feverishly awaited American films at Cannes. It marks the first time in competition at the French festival for Aster, the lauded director of “Hereditary,” “Midsommar” and “Beau Is Afraid.”

It’s also his most politically ambitious film by a long shot. “Eddington,” which A24 will release in July, plunges into the pandemic psyche of the United States, plotting a small-town feud that swells to encompass nationwide events including mask mandates, the death of George Floyd and right-left divisions.

As a portrait of the U.S. in microcosm, it’s a hardly a more peaceful affair than “Midsommar.” When Joe Cross (Phoenix) tires of the mask ordinances of the town’s mayor (Pedro Pascal), he decides to oppose him in the upcoming election. Other pressures on Cross (Emma Stone plays his shut-in wife, who has a history with the mayor) gradually increase, driving “Eddington” toward a surreal and bloody eruption.

In Aster’s dark satire, both MAGA Republicans and elitist Democrats get skewered, but the new, ominous data centre just outside of town suggests a common social poison in the internet.

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“Eddington,” predictably, proved divisive at Cannes. Some critics hailed it as an eerily accurate film about contemporary America, while others called it a tedious and wayward rumination.

After a not particularly enthusiastic stranding ovation, Aster himself seemed both proud and apologetic for what he had wrought.

“I don’t know what to say. I don’t know what you think,” he said, smiling. Aster added: “I don’t know, sorry?”

— Jake Coyle has covered the Cannes Film Festival since 2012. He’s seeing approximately 40 films at this year’s festival and reporting on what stands out.