Ari Aster’s film Eddington offers a vivid and unsettling reflection of contemporary America, depicting a nation divided and tense. Set in 2020, the story centers on a tense confrontation in a small New Mexico town where a sheriff, played by Joaquin Phoenix, and a mayor, portrayed by Pedro Pascal, clash, sparking a wider conflict that consumes the community and mirrors the country’s growing fractures. The film explores how neighbor turns against neighbor, unraveling civility into tribal survival instincts. While the construction of a data center outside a midwestern town is central to the plot, the story transcends technology, instead serving as an allegory for the rising internal tensions and paranoia rippling across the United States.
An Ensemble Cast Reflecting a Divided America
features a robust ensemble cast including Luke Grimes, Deirdre O’Connell, Micheal Ward, Austin Butler, and Emma Stone, whose performances collectively capture the fractured psyche of the nation. Known for his work on Hereditary, Midsommar, and Beau Is Afraid, Aster blends dark comedy and social critique with an unsettling atmosphere, transforming the small-town setting into a microcosm for national disintegration. The film’s tone conveys the eerie stillness of 2020, where social paranoia evolves into an existential crisis, portraying the absurd yet frightening familiarity of a country at odds with itself.
The Film’s Continued Relevance in Today’s Climate
Released now on Blu-ray, Eddington remains urgent and prophetic, having been written during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Aster acknowledges that the world was still grappling with unprecedented upheaval when the film was conceived. The movie’s exploration of isolation, distrust, and identity commodification resonates even more strongly today, as conversations about artificial intelligence and cultural division dominate headlines. Rather than a retrospective artifact, Eddington serves as a slow-motion warning about the escalating societal fracture.
Ari Aster’s Motivations Behind Writing the Film
In an interview, Ari Aster explained that he began writing Eddington during the pandemic in 2020, sensing a charged atmosphere that he wanted to capture and examine.
“I started writing it in 2020, which is when the film takes place. I sensed that there was something in the air that I wanted to capture and reflect on—not only to meditate on, but to build a narrative out of, if only to exert some control at a time when I felt completely out of control,”
he said. Writing became a way to make sense of the nation’s cultural energy by creating a broad, panoramic narrative that examined the country’s state and mood.
Reflection on the Film’s Darker Tone Over Time
When asked if the film might feel darker if written now, Aster responded that it did not mark a beginning but rather an inflection point when escalations were already underway. The themes of Eddington—reflecting America’s tension and division—are as relevant now as when they were first conceived.
“We haven’t really been able to metabolize what happened in 2020 because we’ve never truly emerged from it,”
he explained, emphasizing the difficulty of capturing these feelings in real time, though he wanted the film to embody the nation’s collective state then and now.
The Personal and Societal Layers in Aster’s Storytelling
Ari Aster has often described his films as therapeutic, though he cautions against reducing them solely to that function.
“All art is therapeutic in some way, as long as it isn’t entirely calculated or designed solely to sell something,”
he noted. For Eddington, Aster aimed to portray the extreme siloing and division permeating the country. He observed how mechanisms of division feel unstoppable, like a runaway train heading toward disaster. The film grapples with this shared state of collective anxiety and alienation in American life.
The Central Symbol of the Data Center
At its core, Eddington centers on the construction of a data center just outside a small town, which acts as a catalyst for the unfolding drama. Aster stressed the importance of this element in the storytelling:
“If you strip everything away, the movie is about a data center being built just outside of a small town. That really is the heart of this film.”
This plot device provides a lens to explore broader themes of progress, power, and social disconnection. Though the film was written years ago, its focus on such infrastructure feels remarkably prescient amid ongoing discussions about AI and digital landscapes.
Balancing Ambiguity and Audience Expectations
Reflecting on the film’s premiere at Cannes roughly six months before, Aster explained how the first half is intentionally politically ambiguous. The aim was to keep audiences uncertain, which risked alienating some viewers but aligned with the film’s goal to challenge sacred beliefs and identities.
“Something bigger is happening above us while we’re going at each other,”
he said.
“You have to be irreverent toward identity. You have to ask, ‘Where do these convictions come from? These things that feel so essential to who I am—how much of that is mine, and how much of it has been fed to me?’”
This approach turns a mirror on viewers, inviting them to reconsider their own roles in societal divides.
Anticipated Polarization and Its Impact
Given the film’s provocative themes, the polarized reaction was expected by Aster and his team. The film delves into how beliefs become sacred property that divide people, making unanimous acceptance unlikely. “That reaction was inevitable,” he stated. For Aster, the film’s risk-taking and willingness to explore cultural fault lines was part of its purpose, encouraging viewers to engage deeply even if it caused discomfort. He hopes audiences will persevere to the film’s conclusion to fully grasp its message as it becomes clearer over time.
Releasing Films as an Emotional Challenge
Ari Aster described the emotional complexity involved in releasing a deeply personal film. While some described the reactions to Beau Is Afraid and Eddington as “devastating,” he clarified that the experience of sharing work with the public is inherently difficult.
“You live with a film for years—it exists in your head in a very particular way, and it’s deeply personal. Then you put it out into the world, and it becomes something else,”
he said. He emphasized that even when films are celebrated, how audiences interpret them often differs from the creator’s intentions, creating a sense of loss and alienation.
Genre-Blending and the Film’s Emotional Atmosphere
While Eddington calls on feelings of dread and anxiety, Aster does not categorize it strictly as horror. Instead, he describes it as a blend of dark comedy, political thriller, Western satire, and character study that culminates in an action narrative.
“I wouldn’t call it horror, but I wouldn’t argue with someone who wants to,”
he remarked. The film’s tone captures a looming sense of doom over its characters, reflecting the wider societal unease the story conveys.
Upcoming Projects and Collaborations
Looking ahead, Aster is currently writing and exploring potential projects without rushing the process. While details remain sparse, he did confirm his role as producer on a new project titled Acting Class, which involves Emma Stone but is directed by someone else. Beyond that, he is focused on finding stories that resonate deeply with him and are worth pursuing creatively.
The Availability of Eddington
Eddington is now available on Blu-ray and DVD, as well as for digital purchase or rental on platforms such as Amazon Prime Video, iTunes, Vudu, and Google Play Movies & TV, making the film accessible to a broad audience eager to engage with its intense exploration of America’s social fractures.
“Something bigger is happening above us while we’re going at each other,”
Ari Aster, Filmmaker
“Where do these convictions come from? These things that feel so essential to who I am—how much of that is mine, and how much of it has been fed to me?”
Ari Aster, Filmmaker
