Ari Aster just unleashed the full trailer for Eddington—and it's a hallucinatory breakdown of America's pandemic psyche. Joaquin Phoenix's unhinged sheriff squares off against Pedro Pascal's mayor in a New Mexico town where civility evaporates faster than hand sanitizer. A24's tease promises Aster's signature chaos (think Beau Is Afraid's absurdity meets Hereditary's dread), but Cannes reviews were split like a fractured community.
The insane detail? This isn't just a COVID allegory—it's a “powder keg” of neighbor-vs-neighbor warfare, with Phoenix reportedly channeling Brando-level intensity. But here's the rub: Critics called it “a rambling, half-baked sermon” (IndieWire) or “Aster's most ambitious flop” (The Playlist). Compare it to The Purge if it swapped masks for moral decay—and lost its pulse.
Aster's films thrive on polarization (Midsommar's breakup-as-horror, Beau's Oedipal nightmare), but Eddington's Cannes reception (65% on RT, zero awards) suggests a misfire. One anonymous attendee quipped, “It's like watching a Twitter thread manifest as a 3-hour panic attack.” Historically, pandemic films (Contagion, Songbird) either terrify or trivialize—but Aster's take might just baffle.
Genius or garbage? The trailer's ominous “fight against evil” vibes hint at Aster's trademark unease, but will it land—or collapse like a house of PPE cards?
