Eddington

Eddington - a surrealist masterpiece and town, a violent microcosm of the modern West. Somehow it captures the nuance of modern politics, ego and identity-driven insanity. Too real. Now Covid is meaningless, and as common as the cold or flu, 2020 becomes a melting pot for individuals seeking control over their lives. Against AI, mayors, mandates, each other, every character has a camera, their own lens and individual need to protest. Phones, guns, conspiracies, and masks are held onto like the clawing weapons of a fading community driven, 'traditional' people. 'What? Are you fucking retarded, you're white'. Joaquin Phoenix delivers another visceral, embarrassing, fragile male performance, stumbling over his words and ego. A sheriff runs for mayor, uses Trump-like tactics to get rid of his enemies. Pedro Pascal plays a no-nonsense mayor, a COVID mandate officiating dad, a rule-following straight man who represents greater business interests. Everyone has their own motive, whether or not to obey the government, or try benefit from the chaos. A western where the shoot-outs have violent, bureaucratic consequences. He assassinates the mayor and his son and shamefully covers it up. Antifa actually hunt him down, an amalgamation of anarchy, his violence coming back to haunt him. Nothing changes. The homeless man is killed, cowboys and 'woke' Indians fight over land that is not theirs. I would criticize the portrayal of the protestors as crazed teenagers with nothing better to do, fighting whiteness or going woke for a girl; there is an actual case and reason to demand change. However, its use for comic effect, used in contrast to Joe's failed campaign attempt, to adult control and normalcy in his town, creates a polarized picture of humanity in the pandemic. Absolute ideologies clash but achieve the same thing. I'm privileged, this is not our land, I'm a sheriff, it's my town, I'm the landlord, we are building the data center. This complete contrast of ego and reality bleed into fireworks. In the end of this political modern western, he is paralyzed and used as the puppet to continue the technological modern era. The gone woke boy becomes the hero. We are falling into AI and technology's hand. There were some very strange choices, but this kept going further into its concept, into places I couldn't predict. Shot dynamically, the camera rotates with the action, lighting floods red and blue over faces; phones, ringlights, and masks become period piece aesthetic props that highlight our isolation. A film we needed right now. A poignant apocalyptic modern western satire. We need connection without reliance on big tech. The opening shot and closing shot have the same dusty plot of land, from water towers to a newly lit data centre. Are we going backwards? A deconstructed human conspiracy. My favourite Ari Aster film.