Full credit where it’s due, director Ari Aster doesn’t do things in half measures. Every one of his movies feels like he dives headlong into the concept and takes it as far as it can logically go. Eddington is no exception, as Aster tackles the reactions to the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement with his signature off-kilter style. A lot of it works really well. A lot of it doesn’t. It’s easily Aster’s most hectic movie, and probably his worst. Still, if you’re a fan of his filmmaking style, you’ll find a good bit to enjoy.

The film takes place during the pandemic and the lockdown that accompanied it. It tells the story of Joe Cross (Joaquin Phoenix), the sheriff of a town called Eddington, New Mexico. Cross believes the lockdown is harming his community and spitefully refuses to honor or enforce the government’s regulations. Some bad blood between Joe and town Mayor, Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal) only makes matters worse, as does the eruption of Black Lives Matter protests in town.  

Regardless of your stance on the politics at the center of the story, you’ll likely find no heroes here. Every character is presented as just a cog in the reactionary, chronically online outrage culture that has become more prevalent in recent years. Sometimes the depictions border on caricatures, but the film is being intentionally cynical, so they never feel totally out of place. It helps that the acting is fairly great. Phoenix in particular really sells the despair of Joe as a man who feels like he’s watching the world he knew disappear in front of his eyes.

Given the incredibly long runtime, though, that cynicism does start to wear on you at some point. When the anchor point for a film is a character that isn’t terribly likeable, spending too long with him can start to drag. The pace of Eddington can be an absolute chore to endure, at least until the last 45 minutes or so. It’s an intentional choice, Aster presents the movie like an explosion; a slow, tense build-up followed by a short, loud, destructive finale. It’s just a shame that the majority of the build-up isn’t that fun to watch.

Still, the payoff is a chaotic blast that almost justifies the duller parts of the movie. Aster shoots the whole thing beautifully and knows how to build tension. He also demonstrates a real knack for visual comedy and gets some shockingly funny performances out of his cast. I was surprised how often I laughed, even if only uncomfortably.

In truth, I suspect that Eddington is the kind of movie where you’re only going to really know how you feel about it after you’ve seen it a few times. After a single viewing, I wasn’t terribly impressed with the package as a whole, even if there were some brilliant pieces. Aster plays a bit too much with expectations and lets things simmer a bit too long. It's tiring, even if there are breaks in the tension and monotony. However, this is a director well known for his ability to make audiences feel the way he wants them to, so I can only assume that he wants us to feel exhausted. Personally, I'd really rather have just enjoyed the movie.