Eddington

Disguised as a neo-Western, this is an epic portrait of a country torn apart by paranoid conspiracy theories, political divisions, and pandemic madness.

In the small American town of Eddington, the height of the COVID-19 pandemic coincides with Black Lives Matter protests. The local sheriff (Joaquin Phoenix), skeptical of coronavirus measures, refuses to follow the mask mandate imposed by the mayor (Pedro Pascal). He decides to run for mayor himself, using social media to undermine the current mayor’s reputation and rally dissatisfied citizens, but soon realizes he is powerless against the social unrest that has engulfed his once-quiet town.

This may be the first great pandemic film—we’re not entirely sure, as Ari Aster’s “Bo’s All Fears” (our favorite from the director of Midsommar and Disintegration) turned out strange, cringe-worthy, and flopped at the box office. What happens when Ari Aster tackles a Western? We don’t know—but it’s damn intriguing.