Eddington                           4 stars

Do you remember what life was like back in 2020, in the time of COVID, the mask mandates, the social distancing and the countless demonstrations for Black Lives Matter? Would you like to revisit that time? Well, in Ari Aster’s new comedy western, Eddington, we get to do just that from the point of view of rural America where there was deep resentment over government mandates and where conspiracy theories proliferated like weeds. Joe Cross (Joaquin Phoenix (Joker and Beau is Afraid)) is the sheriff of Eddington, New Mexico in May of 2020 when the reaction to COVID is in full swing. He must deal with the anger of the locals along with the normal disturbances. Besides this, he has trouble at home with his depressed wife, Louise (Emma Stone (Poor Things)) who makes creepy-looking dolls and his mother-in-law, Dawn (Deirdre O’Connell (Diane)), who is fascinated by conspiracy theories. There are protests going on in the streets shortly after the George Floyd incident, led by some of the local activists resulting in confrontations with the police. The mayor of the town is Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal (Materialists and Gladiator II)) who is very full of himself. He is trying to get a high-tech company to build a factory in Eddington as that will make him look good. Garcia believes in the mask mandates, but Sheriff Joe wants nothing to do with them. Joe has arguments with Garcia as well as with the employees at the local supermarket. There are rumors that Joe’s wife, Louise, had some sexual history with Garcia and now she is spending time with a self-help guru crackpot (Austin Butler), who has her under his spell. All this is enough to make a person snap and for Sheriff Joe it’s enough to make him want to run against Garcia in the upcoming mayoral election. You may have seen Ari Aster’s earlier movies, Midsommar, about an American couple visiting a violent cult in Sweden, or Hereditary, about a family investigating the terrifying past of their family. If so, then you might have an idea of what you are in for. The movie progresses into a murder thriller expanding into utter mayhem. The characters face some harrowing and confusing experiences that they may or may not have been responsible for. It is all very exciting for the audience but probably goes on for too long. Aster’s movie is ultimately about America’s cry for help in a very troubling time and what a mess we have made of things. You can choose for yourself whether this appeals to you. I find that I am a fan of Aster, so I was thrilled to see it.