Reiterating the need to free everyone’s heart, A24 has finally unveiled the debut trailer of its highly anticipated creation: Eddington. Famed for his horror flicks, the movie marks the director Ari Aster’s comeback after his previous successes with Hereditary, Midsommar and Beau is Afraid. Using the suffocating pandemic as the backdrop, the trailer discloses a nuanced understanding of horror - promising fans a perfect blend of fear, comedy and drama.
The trailer opens by plunging the audiences into a tumultuous political face-off between small town sheriff Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal) and incumbent mayor Joe Cross (Joaquin Phoenix); both competing for the mayoral chair. As it progresses, the element of horror intertwines with reality, providing us with eerie reminders of the past - sequences of the characters enforcing the six-foot distancing, protest following the murder of George Floyd and the conspiracy theories that infested social media.
Before the sudden eruption of tension, Vernon Jefferson (played by Austin Butler) opens an important scene where he can be seen motivating people, “Your pain is not a coincidence. You are not a coincidence. We are not a coincidence.” With man pitting against each other, scenes turn grim and unsettling, turning threat into an omnipresent entity.
For Aster, the film marks a reunion with Pascal, the lead actor from his previous dark thriller Beau is Afraid. Written by Aster himself, it is bankrolled by A24 and Lars Knudson. Joining the stellar Pascal-Phoenix duo, is a talented cast comprising Emma Stone, Austin Butler, Luke Grimes, Micheal Ward, Amelie Hoeferle and Cameron Mann.
The film premiered this Cannes season, where it was positively appraised, earning a seven-minute standing ovation. Slated for a summer release, the movie will hit the theatres on July 18th this year.
