Warning: Minor spoilers for Eddington ahead
Ari Aster’s genre-jumping Neo-WesternEddingtonis the best cinematic exploration of the COVID-19 era in America, which it accomplishes through the lens of a satirical black comedy.Starring an A-list cast led by Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal,Eddingtonexamines America circa May 2020from the perspective of the residents of a small New Mexico town.
Joaquin Phoenix stars as Joe Cross, an embittered sheriff who denies the gravity of the COVID-19 pandemic and resents the restrictions it’s placed upon his town. In his frustration, he opts to run for mayor against the incumbent Ted Garcia (Pascal), whose interests align with following the statewide and countrywide mandates while simultaneously subjecting the town to a tech firm’s invasion.
While it debuted tolower Rotten Tomatoes scores than Aster’s first two movies,Eddingtonhas received praise from critics for representing many different viewpoints and perspectives from the specific time period when COVID-19 and the Black Lives Matter movement were at their most combustible. Although the movie has been labeled as overlong by many, there’s no denying Aster’s unique style of social commentary is gripping.
It Pulls No Punches In Its Satirical Analysis Of COVID-19 America
Image via A24
WithEddington,Ari Aster has crafted the most inspired and effective feature film that we’ve seen so far about the heart of the pandemic. While there are many admirable aspects about the movie, perhaps the most striking isAster’s refusal to pull any of his punches with any perspective.Eddingtontruly doesn’t “take sides” in regard to any of the events depicted.
From mask-wearing and performative protests to the rise of unfettered social media surveillance,Eddingtoneffectively satirizes the intensity and tumult of that precise timeframe in American history. Every viewpoint is represented, and in some cases exaggerated to great effect, but no party is seen as right or righteous in their stance.
July 18th, 2025
$25 million
67%
65%
65
6.7/10
While it pivots to an action-thriller in the final third,Eddingtonacts as the first truly modern-feeling Neo-Western. Even shows likeYellowstoneandTaylor Sheridan’s secret American Frontier trilogysometimes don’t feel quite “real”, with their sweeping mountain vistas and desert landscapes.
The town itself inEddingtonfeels like a real modern setting, with the empty streets and shuttered businesses approximating the old Western ghost towns. The midtown stand-offs between Phoenix and Pascal are clearly meant to evoke the gunslinger showdowns of Westerns past, and Clifton Collins Jr.’s homeless character Lodge satisfies the mysterious vagrant stranger trope.
Eddingtonwas largely filmed in the city of Albuquerque and the small town of Truth or Consequences (so named after a radio show in 1950), both in New Mexico.
Eddingtonmay not wind up popular enough to usher in a new era of ultra-modern Westerns, especially given how much of its audience it will likely alienate. However,it does feel like a benchmark in what the modern Western movie setting actually looks and feels likeon the big screen.
There Are Only A Few Other Major COVID-Centric Movies
Eddington Is The Most High-Profile By Far
It’s only been five years since the very time period thatEddingtondepicts, butit still feels as though there should have been more movies set in such a volatile time period rife with different stories and viewpoints. The Hollywood Writers and SAG-AFTRA strikes undoubtedly played a role, along with a likely unwillingness to reflect upon what was such a dark time period for many.
WhileEddingtonis no doubt an effective examination of America during the COVID-19 pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement, it simply hasn’t had much competition on the big screen. There have been a number of excellent documentaries on the various aspects of that time period, but very few feature-length movies.
Eddingtontakes the first truly bold and daring swing at the widespread paranoia, rage, and frustration in the country, and really the world at large.
There have been a few major movies released on streaming that deal with the pandemic in some way, shape, or form. Most were released that way due to ongoing theater restrictions at the time of their production and release, and they do cover a range of genres.
HBO Max (at the time known as Max) released two major movies direct to streaming inLocked Down, the 2021 romantic comedy heist movie starring Anne Hathaway and Chiwetel Ejiofor, andKimi, Steven Soderbergh’s 2022 claustrophobic thriller starring Zoë Kravitz. Peacock released the rather on-the-nose slasher movieSickin January 2023 to positive reviews.
However,none of the major movies that have been released related to COVID have attempted to capture the fractured psyche of an entire nationthe way thatEddingtondoes. Each of the aforementioned movies is self-contained, and deals with the pandemic in how we respond to isolation, fear of illness, and monotony.
Eddingtontakes the first truly bold and daring swing at the widespread paranoia, rage, and frustration in the country, and really the world at large.It paints everyone’s struggle as equally relevant, whether you felt oppressed by being forced to mask or threatened by those who refused to do so. In that way, Eddington is by far the best movie we’ve gotten about the pandemic, and frankly it’ll be hard to beat.
