©Courtesy of A24
A24 has dropped the trailer for “Eddington,” Ari Aster‘s modern western which divided critics’ opinions at the Cannes Film Festival after its Croisette premiere.
COVID conspiracy theories abound in the first full trailer for Ari Aster’s latest film, “Eddington.” Starring Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal, the Western goes back to the politically charged summer of 2020, following a mayoral race between a small-town sheriff (Phoenix) and the incumbent elect (Pascal).
The new footage bring back the viewers five years, with sequences of six-foot-enforced social distancing, protests sparked by the murder of George Floyd and online conspiracy theorists. There’s also more heightened genre elements, including explosions, gun fights and a mysterious corporate private plane hovering over the desert.
Besides Phoenix and Pascal, the heavy-hitter cast includes Austin Butler, Emma Stone, Luke Grimes, Deirdre O’Connell, Micheal Ward, Amélie Hoeferle, Clifton Collins Jr. and William Belleau. “Eddington” is Aster’s fourth feature film, following “Hereditary” in 2018, “Midsommar” in 2019 and “Beau Is Afraid” in 2023.
During the film’s press conference at Cannes, the cast was asked if they had worries about reentering the U.S. Pascal respondeed with, “Fear is the way that they win” and continued with “Keep telling the stories, keep expressing yourself and keep fighting to be who you are. … Fuck the people that try to make you scared, you know? And fight back. This is the perfect way to do so in telling stories. And don’t let them win.”
“Eddington” releases to theaters on July 18 from A24. Watch the full trailer below.