REVIEW #458 Eddington (2025)

Eddington

Synopsis

During the Covid-19 pandemic, a standoff between a small town Mayor and its sheriff, sparks a powder keg as neighbour is pitted against neighbour.

My Review

Ari Aster’s use of political and social satire creates a hilariously funny opening two acts, utilising the ridiculousness of certain global events across the last few years. Joaquin Pheonix was the perfect choice to lead the film, executing the awkward nature of Sheriff Joe Cross, perfectly, enhancing every bit of humour surrounding the character. The film truly pulls no punches whatsoever, targeting anyone and everyone and I’m sure someone is bound to be offended, they always are, but that’s the best kind of humour for me. Whether you were a Covid distancing extremist, an insufferable white person who is insistent on dictating to people of colour on how they should stand up to racism, or a right wing gun loving patriot, you will end up being the butt of the joke at some point. Unfortunately it wouldn’t be an Ari Aster film if he didn’t venture into the weird and wonderful at some point and the final act represents that shift in tone. Personally, I thought this was where the film started to drag and lost a bit of its momentum, but I’m sure others might feel the opposite, which is usually the case with Asters films!

Beneath the jokes there are actually a lot of important themes running through Eddington and I actually believe that sincerity heightened the humour. Societies obsession with phones, TikTok and social media, the power those things have over us as individuals and how anyone is susceptible to extremist views and obscure conspiracy theories. It’s a film that you could study and dissect for hours, even if you don’t necessarily like Ari Asters approach to tackling those themes. For me, it’s probably his most palatable film yet and I certainly had my concerns considering how much I hated Beau Is Afraid. The stacked cast, impressive cinematography and precise writing make it so enjoyable, yet technically impressive too and even if the final act was a little weaker, I’d recommend the film to anyone with a strong sense of humour and a passion for social satire.

My Rating: 8 out of 10

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