Writer-director Ari Aster (Hereditary, Midsommar) previews Eddington alongside Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal, and more cast members in the first-look featurette below.
“The western is a very interesting genre to me. It’s very much about the heroic myth of America, but it’s also contending with the ugly truth of America,” says Aster. “Every character is living in a different reality, and they all distrust each other completely.”
A contemporary western set against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, the film opens in theaters on July 18 via A24.
In May of 2020, a standoff between a small-town sheriff (Phoenix) and mayor (Pascal) sparks a powder keg as neighbor is pitted against neighbor in Eddington, New Mexico.
Luke Grimes, Deirdre O’Connell, Micheal Ward, Amélie Hoeferle, Clifton Collins Jr., William Belleau, Austin Butler, and Emma Stone round out the cast.
Eddington premiered at at Cannes last month and will be the opening film at Fantasia next month.