Ari Aster’s Eddington Debuts at Cannes with a Timely Contemporary Western -

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17 May 2025 | Mexico, USA

Ari Aster, best known for his groundbreaking work in horror films, made a notable genre shift with his latest film, Eddington, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on Friday. This contemporary Western, set during the COVID-19 pandemic, stars Joaquin Phoenix, Emma Stone, Austin Butler, and Pedro Pascal. The film’s premiere was met with mixed reactions, including a 5-minute standing ovation alongside many attendees quietly leaving before the end of the screening.

Eddington is set in May 2020 in a small town in New Mexico where a standoff between a sheriff, played by Joaquin Phoenix, and the mayor, portrayed by Pedro Pascal, escalates tensions among neighbors. The movie is a reflection on political and social polarization based on the polarizing environment in the US during the initial stages of the outbreak. The A24 production combines Western themes with the issues of today, seeking to give a biting critique of American society and politics.

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While most of the festival audience cheered the film’s try and performances, some viewers seemed less interested, with a significant number departing during the screening, especially those found in the upper seats of the Palais des Festivals. In the wake of the screening, Aster reacted modestly to the reactions, claiming, “I don’t know what to say.”. I don’t know what you think. Sorry, I guess? Thank you, I guess?” He also expressed gratitude for the opportunity to present his film at Cannes, calling it “a dream come true.”

The cast of Eddington includes familiar names with Cannes experience. Joaquin Phoenix earlier received the Best Actor award at Cannes in 2017 for You Were Never Really Here. Emma Stone also boasts a Cannes past as she visited the festival last year. Their presence adds credibility to the movie and indicates the amount of talent Aster assembled for the film. Austin Butler, Luke Grimes, Deirdre O’Connell, Michael Ward, and Clifton Collins Jr. also round out the strong ensemble cast.

This film marks Ari Aster’s first time attending Cannes, a milestone in his career. His debut feature, Hereditary (2018), premiered at Sundance, while his follow-up, Midsommar (2019), and the more recent Beau Is Afraid (2023), also starring Phoenix, bypassed the festival circuit entirely and went straight to theaters. Beau Is Afraid had mixed reviews but performed poorly at the box office, where it grossed just $11 million, a box office failure.

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Having Eddington open at Cannes marks a new era for Aster, whose reputation among international filmmakers is being increasingly recognized. The movie opens on July 18, giving it time to capitalize on the festival buzz.

Eddington tests audiences with its depiction of a broken society mired in political and social unrest. It includes the pandemic-decades-generated fears and fragmentation, refracting them through the Western genre lens. That subject matter genre crossover is evidence of Aster’s maturing as a filmmaker and tendency towards experimentation.

With the film making its way to cinemas later this summer, audiences can expect an intellectually stimulating and complex drama that honors and reinvents the Western, and sheds light on the social upheavals of recent years. With an amazingly talented cast and its director at the peak of his artistic trajectory, Eddington is a movie that will generate debate and reflection.

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