The trailer and release date forEddingtonhave arrived. The upcoming movie from director Ari Aster (Hereditary,Midsommar) is set in the fictional town of Eddington, New Mexico in May 2020, following a confrontation between local sheriff Joe Cross (Joaquin Phoenix) and Mayor Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal). The star-studded ensemble cast of the movie also includes Emma Stone, Austin Butler, Deirdre O’Connell, Micheal Ward, Clifton Collins Jr., andYellowstonestarLuke Grimes.
A24has now unveiled the official trailer forEddington, which they have also revealed isset to debut on July 18. The minute-long video is presented as a sort of social media scroll. While a voice rattles off conspiracy theories about COVID-19 and other topics, an unseen person scrolls through various videos, including Sheriff Cross in a cowboy hat seemingly speaking in a hearing about how “the people of Eddington like guns,” and Austin Butler’s long-haired character Vernon Jefferson giving an inspirational speech about how “your pain is not a coincidence.”
Other videos include Emma Stone denouncing a recent announcement made by her husband (her account name is “louise.cross,” so she likely plays Phoenix’s wife), Mayor Ted Garcia talking about “fighting the pandemic” and racial injustice, and a CNN video featuring Sheriff Cross with the chiron “‘Law and Order’ Sheriff Assaults Protestor in Town Rocked By Murder.” The end of the trailer reveals thatthis feed is being scrolled through by a forlorn Crosswhile he lies in bed. Watch the trailer below:
What This Means For Eddington
The Trailer Offers Insight Into Ari Aster’s Beau Is Afraid Follow-Up
TheEddingtontrailer offers the first real glimpse into the upcomingAri Aster movie, indicating the latest direction in which he is taking his career. While bothHereditaryandMidsommarwere intense, female-led horror movies about grief, his follow-upBeau is Afraidtook an entirely different path, putting its title character (also played by Phoenix) on a surreal odyssey while attempting to manage his severe anxiety. While Phoenix’s Sheriff Cross is an entirely different type of character,it does seem that Aster’s latest collaboration with the star will take on more of aBeautonethan his breakout horror movies.
Just likeEddington,Beau is Afraidfeatured a large ensemble cast around Phoenix, a roster that included Nathan Lane, Amy Ryan, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Parker Posey, and Patti LuPone.
However, instead of focusing more or less entirely on the internal world of Phoenix’s character likeBeau is Afraid,it seems thatEddingtonwill turn its sights outward toward society at large. While its tone still seems to be slightly surreal, it is nevertheless simultaneously Aster’s most realistic onscreen world, tackling real-life 2020s issues including the COVID-19 pandemic and the Black Lives Matter protests with biting satire that includes the social media feed showing an influencer doing a dance celebrating having read the James Baldwin novelGiovanni’s Room.
Our Take On The Eddington Trailer
Ari Aster’s Latest Could Be Alienating
Ultimately, it remains to be seen ifEddingtonsuccessfully connects with audiences. By combining Aster’s idiosyncratic style with what appears to be lacerating satire of the social and political situation in 2020,it may be taking on a tone that could be alienating to general audiences. TheBeau is Afraidbox office, which grossed just $12.3 million against a $35 million budget, shows that audiences don’t necessarily want to follow Aster down every narrative path he attempts to draw them down, so it will be intriguing to see if this new blend of subjects and genres sticks the landing.
Eddington
Cast
Eddington is a drama set in 2020, exploring the tensions between a small-town sheriff and mayor in Eddington, New Mexico. The conflict escalates into a community standoff, testing the relationships between residents as tensions rise and allegiances form in this local power struggle.
