The COVID-19 crisis hit the whole world like a sledgehammer to a Lego set. No one knew what was going on. Chaos was almost immediate and the whole world was scared. We all were convinced we were experts, but we only just heard of these experts and why do we care if the neighbor who used to babysit me wants to fly an American flag in his yard? Or the lady who showed me how to ride a bike won’t wash her hands every 10 minutes?

New rules, mask up, Fauci Ouchie, #stayhomesavelives, BLM, Antifa, wear your damn mask …

All of it feels like a fever dream although it was only 5 years ago. When you stop and think about your life now it’s almost impossible to think that we, as a nation, as a globe, walked in the woods with a mask on for fear of catching COVID. Or sat in our homes spraying everything with disinfectant because someone on TV said so. But, what about the start of things? When it was all new and we were just confused in the moment. One the of the A24 darlings, Ari Astor (Hereditary, Midsommar) has written a tightly drawn western that explores this extremely chaotic moment through the eyes of a failing Mayor (Ted Garcia – Pedro Pascal) and the sheriff who wants to take his place (Joe Cross – Joaquin Phoenix) in the very small fictional town of Eddington, New Mexico. From my understanding, Astor wrote this movie prior to his 2018 smash Hereditary and wanted Eddington to be his first flick, but he couldn’t get the proper funding.

_{Joaquin Phoenix as Sheriff Joe Cross and Pedro Pascal as Mayor Ted Garcia}

In the close knit community of Eddington, Mayor Ted Garcia is doing an OK job: Everyone gets along, the town hasn’t blown up and for the most part, it’s peaceful. During the early stages of the pandemic, in May of 2020, defunding the police struck America due to corrupt police officers abusing their power. This resulted in distrust of authority, public pushback and ultimately, crime got worse. Small towns started to resemble major cities in the wake of Generation Z’s “Our way” attitude and Eddington has started their powder keg ready to blow.

A homeless man drifts into town, mumbling incoherently, goes to Garcia’s bar where Mayor Garcia and other elected officials are having a meeting. Garcia calls Cross in hopes of removing the man, but Cross can’t as there isn’t a law to bang on a door. The man breaks in, steals booze and cross attempts to remove him, without success and being recorded by teens for their Instagram.

Down, but not out, Cross goes home to his “what does it all mean” wife Louise (Emma Stone) and right-wing conspiracy theorist mother-in-law Dawn (Dierdre O’Connell). Dawn can’t stop talking about everything to the right of Alex Jones and Louise wants out of life. A long time ago (supposedly) Garcia and then 16-year-old Louise dated, she became pregnant, and he made her have an abortion, throwing her life in forever dismay. The pandemic pre-lockdown life only exacerbated her brain and Louise has found a somewhat messiah in Vernon (Austin Butler).

Fed up and confused Cross decides to run for Mayor to clean up the town. He and his deputies Guy (Luke Grimes) and Micheal (Micheal Ward) come up with slogans and away we go. COVID is the centerpiece as it literally causes people to lose control and do what they think is right. Key moments caught in the insanity of how life was in these moments are when Fred (James Cady) the old timer who has been in Eddington his whole life, is refused entry to the grocery store because he won’t wear a mask. “It’s the law” the clerk says. “Since when? He was in here a few days ago,” Cross explains, but no one in town cares. Garcia explains how masks work, according to the professionals but the professionals were unknown until a few weeks ago. Trust the science. Put your mask on, shut up.

After the murder of George Floyd, Black Lives Matter protests hit the streets. An unfavorable number of protestors show up and the next day more people congregate. They’re louder, angrier and they don’t seem like residents. Cross asks “Who are all of you?” As he recognizes none of these townspeople. Garcia is pushing for lockdowns while turning a blind eye to his own “super spreader” events; Cross desperately wants his wife to love him but she is lost in Vernon’s hypnotic charm. The town is reacting to a world beyond its own border and it is about to erupt.

Eddington has bothered some people as it is a satiric reflection on a recent history that, I think, the world would like to forget. Given that Astor is not really a mirror-holding director, the movie would be shocking if you’re used to watching his previous work. Although it could technically be a political movie, there are no direct politics in it. All the characters act … well … as everyone did at this time. To say otherwise wold be a lie. The set design beautifully showcases how our lives looked: Lost and foreign although we can still see shadows of it presently. How often have you walked past an arrow on the floor and thought “Oh yeah, cross contamination … “?

There is no preaching in Eddington, there’s barely a storyline. True, there is a beginning, middle and end, but there’s no arc in a traditional sense. Garcia and Cross exist only because that’s what it was like. Characters talk like how people talk. It’s not quite a “slice of life” film nor a hangout flick. It’s a movie we can all watch and, whether or not we want to admit to it, politics aside: That’s the way it was.