CANNES, France (AP) 鈥 Ari Aster's COVID-era Western 鈥淓ddington,鈥 about a 2020 America quickly losing its mind to conspiracy theories, TikTok and political extremism, premiered to a mixed reception at the Cannes Film Festival.
鈥淓ddington,鈥 starring Joaquin Phoenix as a muddled, mistake-prone sheriff who runs for mayor in a fictional New Mexico town, was among the most feverishly awaited American films at Cannes. It marks the first time in competition at the French festival for Aster, the lauded director of 鈥淗ereditary,鈥 and
It's also his most politically ambitious film by a long shot. 鈥淓ddington,鈥 which A24 will release in July, plunges into the pandemic psyche of the United States, plotting a small-town feud that swells to encompass nationwide events including mask mandates, the death of George Floyd and right-left divisions.
As a portrait of the U.S. in microcosm, it's a hardly a more peaceful affair than 鈥淢idsommar.鈥 When Joe Cross (Phoenix) tires of the mask ordinances of the town's mayor (Pedro Pascal), he decides to oppose him in the upcoming election. Other pressures on Cross (Emma Stone plays his shut-in wife, who has a history with the mayor) gradually increase, driving 鈥淓ddington鈥 toward a surreal and bloody eruption.
In Aster's dark satire, both MAGA Republicans and elitist Democrats get skewered, but the new, ominous data center just outside of town suggests a common social poison in the internet.
鈥淓ddington,鈥 predictably, proved divisive at Cannes. Some critics hailed it as an eerily accurate film about contemporary America, while others called it a tedious and wayward rumination.
After a not particularly enthusiastic stranding ovation, Aster himself seemed both proud and apologetic for what he had wrought.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know what to say. I don鈥檛 know what you think,鈥 he said, smiling. Aster added: 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know, sorry?鈥
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Jake Coyle has covered the Cannes Film Festival since 2012. He鈥檚 seeing approximately 40 films at this year鈥檚 festival and
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