One Thing’s Been Bothering Me The Most About Eddington, And I Can’t Stop Thinking About It

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I wasn’t sure what to expect when I first learned about the movie Eddington. After reading about Ari Aster’s thriller – which takes place in a town on the brink of chaos during the COVID-19 pandemic – I wondered if I was prepared to relive such a difficult time, so I initially avoided it when it came out in 2025. I recently watched it, and it turns out my hesitation was justified.

I enjoyed the new A24 film, perhaps more than most, though I wasn’t completely blown away. I thought Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal gave fantastic performances as Sheriff Joe Cross and Mayor Ted Garcia – their characters were rivals who constantly clashed. But something has been on my mind ever since I saw Eddington about a week ago…

I Put Off Watching Eddington Because My 2020 Wounds Were Still Fresh

Even though the COVID-19 pandemic began nearly six years ago, the difficult memories of 2020 still feel very recent. Between the disease itself, which the World Health Organization estimates caused around seven million deaths, the divisive 2020 U.S. Presidential election, and the widespread protests after George Floyd’s death, it’s clear many people are still trying to make sense of everything that happened.

I can usually handle documentaries about the pandemic without much trouble, but this dramatic series set during that time was surprisingly difficult to watch. Even now, months later, after seeing Eddington, I don’t think I’m ready to relive those feelings, and I’m not sure I ever will be.

This Movie Feels Like It Was Written To Piss Me Off, And I Can’t Really Vibe With That

Watching Ari Aster’s Eddington felt…intense. It wasn’t just that the film dredged up all the awful feelings from 2020 – it really filled the entire runtime with them. But it felt like he wasn’t just aiming to remind me of the trauma, but to actively make me angry. It wasn’t about simply remembering what happened; the story unfolded in a way that felt like it was growing, twisting, and building into this overwhelming explosion of rage. It’s a film that doesn’t let you – or anyone, really – walk away unaffected.

I admire Aster’s visual style, quirky humor, and talent for creating gripping stories, but I just didn’t connect with the plot or setting of the movie in Eddington, New Mexico.

It Appears This Was Ari Aster’s Point All Along

Before the release of Eddington this summer, my colleague Eric Eisenberg interviewed Ari Aster about how the film has divided audiences and what the director thinks of their reactions. In the interview, Aster addressed a question I’ve had since seeing the movie: Was it intentionally made to be provocative?

When I’m writing, I try not to overthink how something will be received. I focus on letting my ideas flow freely without holding back. Once it’s written down, the challenge is to stay confident and carefully consider what might need to be removed. We anticipated the work would be controversial, as it deals with deeply divided viewpoints. We attempted to shift the focus towards environmental issues, hoping to find common ground since everyone tends to have a limited perspective on the bigger picture.

While I find the idea that the film focuses on division difficult to accept, it does offer a way to understand what Aster was aiming for with Eddington. I still have some problems with the movie itself, but that’s perfectly okay – that’s what makes art interesting.

The new film Eddington is currently streaming for those with an HBO Max subscription. It might be a good family movie for Thanksgiving, but perhaps it’s not for everyone.

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2025-11-27 16:09