Eddington (film)

In late May 2020, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mayor Ted Garcia of Eddington, New Mexico, implements a lockdown and enforces mask mandates based on the governor's orders at the state level. Local sheriff Joe Cross disapproves, arguing the mandates violate freedom of choice. Joe lives with his emotionally unstable wife, Louise, and her conspiracy-theorist mother, Dawn. After confrontations with Ted, who is running for re-election with a tech-friendly campaign that would allow building a data center, Joe decides to run against him, much to the reclusive Louise's disapproval. He recruits deputies Guy and Michael as campaign aides. Louise and Dawn invite radical cult leader Vernon Jefferson Peak for dinner, and during a discussion about their conspiratorial beliefs about pedophilia and child trafficking, Louise hints that her father abused her. Joe expresses disbelief in Vernon's professed backstory, which is based on recovered memories. Meanwhile, Ted's son Eric gets involved in Black Lives Matter protests with his friend Brian and social justice-minded Sarah. Sarah unsuccessfully tries to persuade Michael to join their cause. To sway the election in his favor, Joe claims during a campaign event that Ted sexually assaulted Louise. She leaves town with Vernon after denying the allegations in an online video. The next day, Joe confronts Ted under the pretext of a noise complaint at his residence during a fundraiser. Ted slaps Joe in front of campaign fundraiser guests. That evening, Joe shoots a vagrant dead and dumps his body in a nearby river. He then murders Ted and Eric in their home with a scoped rifle and stages the scene as an Antifa attack. Meanwhile, a mysterious private jet carrying heavily armed terrorists heads toward Eddington. Officer Butterfly Jimenez of the Pueblo tribe gets involved in the investigation of the deaths since Joe shot his rifle on Pueblo land. Joe frames Michael as the killer and jails him to divert attention, but Butterfly makes connections pointing to the sheriff. Eddington is attacked by the terrorists who kidnap Michael from the sheriff's office holding cell and set several fires during their escape. Joe and Guy find Michael in the desert, where he tries to warn them not to get close. An explosive detonates when the officers approach, killing Guy and severely wounding Michael. Joe heads back to Eddington, where he is targeted by snipers. After evading them in the desert and his home, he breaks into a gun store to arm himself. He fires his weapons haphazardly, accidentally shooting Butterfly's leg off; Butterfly is then killed by a sniper moments later. Joe is eventually cornered and stabbed in the head by a terrorist, causing significant brain damage. He is saved by Brian, who guns down Joe's attacker while filming on his phone. One year later, Brian has become a prominent conservative influencer, having capitalized on his filmed rescue of Joe from the terrorists. Joe was elected as the Mayor of Eddington, despite the fact that he is now paralyzed and brain damaged as a result of his attack. Dawn serves as his caregiver, and speaks on Joe's behalf during public appearances. After returning from the grand opening of the newly constructed data center, Joe and Dawn watch news coverage of Vernon and a pregnant Louise at a rally. Michael, who also survived and is now undersheriff, practices target shooting on the outskirts of town. Dawn and a caregiver maneuver Joe into a bed, then she and the caretaker join Joe in the same bed. == Cast ==

• Joaquin Phoenix as Joe Cross, Sevilla County sheriff and a mayoral candidate • Pedro Pascal as Ted Garcia, Eddington's incumbent mayor who is running for re-election • Emma Stone as Louise Cross, Joe's wife • Austin Butler as Vernon Jefferson Peak, a radical cult leader • Luke Grimes as Guy Tooley, a deputy at the Sevilla County Sheriff's Office in Eddington. • Deirdre O'Connell as Dawn, Louise's mother • Micheal Ward as Michael Cooke, a deputy at the Sevilla County Sheriff's Office in Eddington. • Amélie Hoeferle as Sarah Allen, a social justice influencer • Clifton Collins Jr. as Lodge, a mentally ill vagrant • William Belleau as Officer Butterfly Jimenez, an intrepid Pueblo policeman • Matt Gomez Hidaka as Eric Garcia, Mayor Garcia's son • Cameron Mann as Brian, Eric's best friend • Rachel de la Torre as Paula, a local restaurant owner • Amadeo Arzola as Laird, a vocal protestor • Landall Goolsby as Will • Robyn Reede as The Irate Woman • Elise Falanga as Nicolette, a follower of Vernon • King Orba as Warren, the New Mexico governor's economic advisor • David Pinter as Antifa Terrorist 1 • Keith Jardine as Antifa Terrorist 2 • Sam Quinn as Protest Leader • Keith Jardine as Muscular Man • Daniel Clowes as Frankie Salmone • Ari Aster as Radio Journalist (uncredited) == Production ==

Ari Aster wrote a script for a contemporary Western film that he had at one point considered making as his directorial debut. He tried to make it for about five years before deciding to make Hereditary and Midsommar first. While promoting his third film, Beau Is Afraid, Aster indicated that his next film would likely be a Western and that he had updated it to take place during the COVID-19 pandemic. Emma Stone and Christopher Abbott were attached to star in the film in January 2023, and Aster also planned to collaborate with Joaquin Phoenix again for the film. Aster and Phoenix were scouting New Mexico shooting locations in August 2023. In March 2024, Phoenix, Stone, Austin Butler, Pedro Pascal, Luke Grimes, Deirdre O'Connell, Micheal Ward, and Clifton Collins Jr. were added to the cast, and Abbott was no longer attached. The film was produced by Square Peg and A24, who also financed the film with Access Entertainment and IPR.VC. Filming took place from March through May 2024 in Albuquerque and Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. The water tower with the mural that is shown toward the beginning of the film is the Las Cruces Water Tank. == Music ==

On April 9, 2025, it was announced that Bobby Krlic would compose the film's score, after previously collaborating with Aster on Midsommar and Beau Is Afraid. On May 7, it was announced that Daniel Pemberton would also be composing the film's score alongside Krlic. ==Release==

Eddington premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on May 16, 2025. The film also played in Australia at the Sydney Film Festival on June 12, 2025, and at Revelation Perth International Film Festival on July 5, 2025. It also opened 29th Fantasia International Film Festival on July 16, 2025. Eddington was released in the United States on July 18, 2025. It was screened in the 'Best of 2025' section of the 20th Rome Film Festival in October 2025. On October 30, 2025, the film was showcased at the 38th Tokyo International Film Festival in 'Gala Selection' section. == Reception ==

Box office In the United States and Canada, Eddington was released alongside Smurfs and I Know What You Did Last Summer, and was projected to gross $3–5 million from 2,111 theaters in its opening weekend. The film debuted to $4.3 million and opened in sixth place at the domestic box office. In its second weekend the film made $1.6 million, dropping to eighth place. Critical response Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "C+" on an A+ to F scale. Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com gave the film two and a half stars out of four, saying that the film was "not just about the divisiveness of 2020; it's designed to be divisive itself in 2025. To that end, even if you hate it, it's kind of done its job." David Ehrlich of IndieWire gave the film an A−, praising the film for "vividly" and "uncomfortably" capturing "the day-to-day extent to which our digital future has stripped people of their ability to self-identify their own truths." Justin Chang of The New Yorker wrote that the movie was "a slog, but with ambitions", and criticized the satire and characters, writing that Aster "barely finds them interesting enough to judge, and his boredom proves infectious." Owen Gleiberman of Variety praised the film's audacity and genre fusion, calling it "a brazenly provocative Western thriller" and highlighting Phoenix's performance as "among his most layered since Joker." Kevin Maher of The Times wrote, "The film seems unsure of what it wants to say, if anything, about its central subject. Aster pores over the quirks and waymarks of the pandemic but leaves the actual business of drama and character notably undernourished." Filmmaker John Waters selected Eddington as the best movie of 2025. Accolades == Themes ==

Several critics have noted that Eddington uses the Western genre to explore contemporary American political divisions, conspiracy theories, and pandemic-era paranoia. David Ehrlich of IndieWire described it as "a bleak and brilliant look at post-COVID America." Aster himself stated, "If I had to boil it down, I’d say Eddington is really just about a data center being built." He elaborated:From my perspective, a common enemy in the film is the 'distraction.' We’re living in a collapsing system where political battles mesmerize us as big tech and capital seizes everything. What has really happened, which Covid [sic] pushed even further, is that people are powerless in this system and they've been taken away from having any access to changing the world. Control over data and information is the privilege of power, and that works even better if your suspicions and your anger can be displaced onto your neighbor. The old idea of democracy, which is that it would be a countervailing force against power run amok, is gone completely. COVID cut the last link. The pandemic did. And out there is power - big power - and we haven't found the way to deal with it yet. But we're going to have to. And that’s what the characters in Eddington are driving themselves mad trying to do — whether they know it or not. == Future ==

Aster has stated that a "sort-of" sequel to Eddington is currently in development. He later clarified that it's "not a sequel, but there are returning characters." ==See also==