Film Overview * Title: Eddington (2025) by Ari Aster * Setting: Small-town New Mexico during the COVID-19 pandemic * Premise: Tension and division between a local sheriff (Joaquin Phoenix) and the town's mayor (Pedro Pascal), reflecting broader cultural and social fractures in America. * Themes: Polarization, the influence of social media, performative activism, the corporatization of crisis, and the psychological weight of 2020.

Cast & Performances * Joaquin Phoenix (Sheriff Joe Cross): Widely praised for his layered, committed performance. Considered perfect for the role. * Pedro Pascal (Mayor Ted Garcia): Serves as a foil to Phoenix’s sheriff. Also well-cast, though not a co-lead. * Emma Stone: Mixed feelings about her casting due to age and tone. Some discussion of alternative casting. * Austin Butler: Divisive but ultimately defended. His character is seen as representative of evangelical or conspiracy-driven youth. * A recurring homeless man character is discussed as a possible metaphor for society’s ignored truths or the prophetic outsider.

Cinematography & Technical Merits * Director of Photography: Darius Khondji (corrected after initially being misattributed to Bruno Delbonnel) * Visuals praised as among the best of the year—shot in New Mexico using real locations, lighting used to evoke horror pacing and psychological tension. * Stylistic comparisons to Hereditary and Seven. * Return of Ari Aster's visual motifs: isolation, daylight-to-night transitions, and symbolic elevation (e.g., houses on hills).

Genre & Stylistic Notes * Described as:

+ “Not quite a horror film, but horror-influenced”
+ A blend of satire, tragedy, psychological thriller, dark comedy, and drama

• Compared to:

  • No Country for Old Men (tone and landscape)
  • Robert Altman’s Nashville (ensemble structure and social chaos)
  • King of Comedy and Taxi Driver (Scorsese comparisons in the spoiler section)
  • Rejection of Coen Brothers comparisons as too simplistic

Thematic Analysis (Spoiler Section) * Fragmentation of Reality: The main theme is how social media algorithms and performative digital culture drive people apart. * Bothsides-ism: The film avoids heroes or villains; it's more about the system manipulating everyone. * Performative Activism: Especially embodied in the youth protest scenes—young people react to national injustices despite their local irrelevance. * Corporate Exploitation: A data center being built in the town is the real power move while townsfolk are distracted by culture wars. * The Sheriff as a Symbol: Joe Cross embodies both traditional authority and the poisoned populism of social media-age politics. * Final Acts of Violence: Symbolize collapse under social pressure and loss of moral compass.

⭐️ Ratings * Michael: 4 out of 5 stars – “Bold, sharp, close to perfect…” * Dave: 4 out of 5 stars – “Difficult but essential viewing… very funny, deeply human…”

🗣️ Start of Reviews ⏱️ Timestamp: 40:50

• Michael opens the review section, defending the film’s boldness, satire, and visual style.
• Emphasizes how the film captures the chaos and performative energy of 2020.
• Strong praise for the thematic relevance and technical execution.
• Final rating: 4 out of 5 stars

⏱️ 46:31 – Dave’s Review

• Compares the emotional weight of Eddington to films like Civil War and No Country for Old Men.
• Praises the film for humanizing characters and confronting social disintegration.
• Final rating: 4 out of 5 stars
• Ends with a call for the film to be recognized as one of the most thought-provoking of the year.

🧠 Start of Thematic Discussion ⏱️ Timestamp: 50:34

“Let’s talk about the cacophony that is this film in our spoiler section…”

• 00:20 – Explores how Eddington portrays social media as a force of division, aligning with Ari Aster’s Wired interview.
• 01:11 – Aster’s quote about telling a coherent story from an incoherent miasma is discussed and praised.
• 02:15 – Dave references a protest scene and critiques performative activism in a majority-white town.
• 04:46 – Joe Cross as a stand-in for embodied social media, broadcasting manipulation via megaphone.
• 06:08 – Dave compares the film to Scorsese’s King of Comedy and Taxi Driver, especially in how antagonists are aggrandized.
• 07:26 – Michael analyzes characters like Sarah, pointing out value systems shaped entirely by online culture.
• 08:13 – Cross and the protesters mirror each other’s rhetoric but cannot communicate—highlighting echo chambers.
• 08:46–12:12 – The unhoused character is explored as a possible prophetic figure. The town ignores real suffering in favor of symbolic outrage.
• 12:25–14:11 – The sheriff’s arc from performative compassion to violence is unpacked. His choices reflect moral confusion and performative politics.