Ari Aster on Gruesome ‘Eddington' Ending, Full-Frontal Joaquin Phoenix and Soothing His Notorious Anxiety
Does anything relax Ari Aster?
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The ramp-up to the celebrated indie filmmaker's latest release, 'Eddington,' reminds us just how much crushing anxiety informs his work and daily life. Take last week's exhaustive New York Times profile, in which Aster threatened to walk into traffic at the thought of answering routine publicity questions. But his demons aren't without benefits, having produced disruptive and culture-consuming movies like 'Hereditary,' 'Midsommar' and 'Beau Is Afraid.'
On a recent Zoom with Variety, Aster sat in the office of his distributor A24 and considered the things that bring him joy and calm.
'I like to read. I like watching movies. Making films provides a healthy level of distraction. Being idle isn't my thing,' he said. The director also confessed to enjoying junk food (calling himself an 'over-orderer' on apps like Uber Eats) and low-brow comedy (he couldn't name any recent favorites off the cuff). He meditates. Sadly, he does not partake in any of Bravo's 'Real Housewives' installments, as the Times hinted he might. Escapes from his prison of anxiety are minimal, but perhaps that's why we have 'Eddington.'
The Cannes selection follows antihero Joaquin Phoenix as Joe Cross, a New Mexico law enforcer whose personal life explodes in scandal and violence at the exact time COVID rattles the world and undoes his small town. The film was divisive from the jump, with some critics saying Aster's film is incendiary on purpose – meant to rile conspiracy theorists, incite liberal outrage and foreshadow the inevitability of a second Trump term. Variety's Owen Gleiberman, in his positive review, said some viewers might wonder if Aster had 'turned into some right-wing hipster auteur tossing cherry bombs attached to Fox News talking points.'
Political and social indictments aside, Aster crafts the kind of bleak ending he's become famous for. [Last chance to avoid spoilers] Much of the film's action centers on a haphazard mayoral campaign Cross is running while trying to keep the peace in his town. After smiting his opposition (Pedro Pascal) and quite a few others, Cross claims victory at a high price. A climactic action piece just before the film's final scenes brings Antifa to town – puppets of the elite paid to stage havoc in service of darker goals, the theory goes. Phoenix's Cross confronts them head on through air assaults, multi-car explosions and a town square shoot-out that feels like Paul Verhoeven guest directed 'Grand Theft Auto.' In the end, Cross takes a knife to the skull. Since this is an Aster movie, death is nowhere near the worst thing that can happen to his protagonist.
'I wanted it to feel as desolate as possible,' Aster said of the ending. Cross survives but is left paraplegic by the stabbing. He holds the mayor's office but can't enjoy its power and privilege, instead a symbol now cared for by his unhinged mother-in-law (the underrated Deirdre O'Connell). Cross spends his days reflecting on his sins and getting abused by caretakers. In a montage looking at Cross' new daily routine, Phoenix offers some rare full-frontal nudity from a male movie star ('If you got it, you might as well [flaunt it],' the director said of his lead).
One of the final glimpses we see of Cross is at the grand opening of a data center, built right next to the paltry town of Eddington. Many theorize that the data center, the construction of which is opposed by some locals and indigenous people, was the real evil in the story.
'What you'll see in the film is that I have some frustration towards one side of this ideological battle, but I'm terrified of the other side. And part of my frustration with that first side is that it's failing to meet the threat of the other side,' he said. 'This film is about a bunch of people who are in the same situation, and they're all boring, and they're all going at each other. But they're all subject to the same forces and the same big power that is working on them.'
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