Episode 98: Eddington

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.

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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.

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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).

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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

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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.

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⭐️ 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.

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🧠 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.