Thescreescore – Ari Aster’s divisive new film, Eddington, premiered at Cannes to a storm of wildly contrasting reviews. A darkly comedic neo-Western, the film centers on a clash between Sheriff Joe Cross (Joaquin Phoenix) and Mayor Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal) amidst a COVID-19 outbreak. While the narrative spirals into surreal territory, Aster reveals a fascinating real-world inspiration in a recent Vulture interview.
Aster confessed that the film’s central conflict is rooted in a real-life feud between a small-town sheriff and mayor, locked in a bitter dispute, particularly over mask mandates. The director spent time in New Mexico, interviewing police officers and mayors, immersing himself in the political landscape of the state. Phoenix even met his character’s real-life counterpart, spending a day driving around the county with the sheriff, who later served as an on-set consultant.
"I was writing this script in a state of fear and anxiety," Aster shared, describing the genesis of the film during the pandemic’s peak. "We had reached a boiling point… When I came back to rewrite, I went back out to New Mexico…to talk to police and mayors…sheriffs… I did not find anybody who did not have very strong convictions."
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Aster elaborated on the mayor’s unconventional path to power: "Before he ran for mayor, he went to town hall with a gun on his person, and he was ejected. He ran on a platform of, ‘I’m going to make it so that if you come to town hall, you have to have a gun.’ And he won!" This anecdote, along with the sheriff’s intense opposition, formed the bedrock of Eddington‘s central conflict. Even Cross’s wardrobe, Aster confirmed, was directly inspired by the real-life sheriff.
The director’s meticulous research is undeniable. While Eddington is undeniably a work of fiction and satire, its grounding in real-life experiences lends it a disturbingly believable edge. The film’s divisive reception notwithstanding, Aster’s commitment to authenticating his story, even in its most exaggerated moments, is undeniable. Whether you find Eddington a masterpiece or a misstep, its origins in a true-life political battle are undeniably fascinating. Source: Vulture.
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