It's easy to say – and with good reason – that there’s plenty of craziness happening these days, and that assessment would be accurate. But where did it all start? A reasonable place to begin looking back is the COVID-19 Pandemic, a period when fear was heightened, conspiracy theories spread widely, “protective” measures became excessive, neighbors often spied on each other (and frequently made unsupported accusations), and people’s imaginations ran wild. What began as an alleged but broadly accepted public health crisis quickly extended into many other aspects of life, with tempers, paranoia, and disinformation reaching new levels. It's becoming clearer now, with the benefit of hindsight, what actually unfolded, although many still don’t acknowledge it or discuss it openly. Fortunately, writer-director Ari Aster has stepped in, jolting us out of our apathy, denial, and complacency with his fourth film, a frank cinematic exploration of that time of profound and widespread insanity in May 2020, as seen through the lives of the residents of the fictional small desert town of Eddington, New Mexico. This unusual combination of comedy, drama, a modern Western, and social satire confronts its content directly, forcing us to examine it closely, even if many would prefer not to. The result is an incisive, insightful, and provocative examination of what can occur when reason is carelessly abandoned. While the film covers a wide range of topics and numerous storylines, the central plot follows the escalating conflict between longtime popular mayor Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal), a supporter of community welfare and official public health policies, and sheriff Joe Cross (Joaquin Phoenix), a law enforcement professional who encourages people to evaluate their situations realistically and with careful judgment. But that’s only the beginning: as things become increasingly tense and unpredictable, Cross challenges Garcia in the upcoming mayoral race, where the incumbent had been running without opposition. As tensions rise due to the stress of the COVID outbreak, local political disagreements, and the emergence of social unrest (like the protests that erupted across the country, including in Eddington, following George Floyd’s killing in Minneapolis), conditions worsen further, reaching a breaking point for Garcia, Cross, and the entire town. The filmmaker uses an intriguing approach to tell this epic story, portraying the prevailing conditions without judgment but vividly depicting them all with inspired and unfiltered absurdity, employing a narrative style that sometimes recalls the work of director Yorgos Lanthimos. This is achieved through skillful cinematography and editing, sharply written dialogue, and strong performances from an excellent cast including both leads and a host of memorable supporting players such as Emma Stone, Austin Butler, Deirdre O’Connell, Michael Ward, Cameron Mann, Matt Gomez Hidaka, Luke Grimes, Amèlie Hoeferle, and William Belieau. While the film's final act is somewhat lengthy and occasionally chaotic, the finished product is nonetheless a noteworthy achievement in filmmaking. This won’t appeal to everyone and will likely provoke divided reactions among movie fans and casual viewers alike. However, for those willing to confront issues that have largely been ignored, this one might be just what they’re looking for. As Mark Twain once wisely observed, “It’s easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled,” and Aster draws on that sentiment repeatedly throughout the film. Regardless of one's views about the events of five years ago, the director skillfully highlights the chaos of that time and how it often manifested as an exercise in deception, control, and a loss of common sense in many areas of daily life. Let’s sincerely hope we learn from this film so that we don’t have to go through something like that again.

Source on TMDB