Eddington
If you needed further convincing that the United States is spiralling into total madness, Eddington is the film you’ve been waiting for. It’s clear that writer-director, Ari Aster wants us to view this small town in New Mexico as a microcosm for America in general, but he is not offering us a morality tale. On the contrary, it’s a fiesta of paranoia, violence and duplicity, being marketed as a “dark comedy”.
It's the kind of comedy we’ve come to associate with the Coen Brothers – a blend of absurdism and irony that elicits a thin chuckle, as we watch a character’s life begin to disintegrate. Even as you crack a smile, you know with absolute certainty that things are going to get much, much worse.
The poor sucker in this case is Sheriff Joe Cross, a role that allows Joaquin Phoenix to exercise his talent for playing shifty, sad, insecure losers who mean well but can’t get a lucky break. As an aging, asthmatic law enforcer, with a staff of two, he’s in no position to throw his weight around. As the town’s protector he wants to be liked and has worrying signs of a Robin Hood complex.