EDDINGTON – August 21

In Australian cinemas August 21 comes EDDINGTON, the provocative new feature from visionary filmmaker Ari Aster (Hereditary, Midsommar, Beau is Afraid). Described as “a must-see cinematic lightning bolt”, this gripping modern Western and paranoid thriller is a searing portrait of a small town pushed to the brink and a mirror to our world today.

Set in the sweltering summer of 2020, a tense standoff between small-town sheriff Joe Cross (Joaquin Phoenix – Joker / Signs) and progressive mayor Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal – Mandalorian, Materialists) ignites a wave of conspiracies, divisions and chaos in the dusty New Mexico community of Eddington. As the town fractures under political pressure, fear and misinformation, neighbour turns against neighbour in a battle for the town’s future.

The all-star cast includes Emma Stone, Austin Butler, Luke Grimes, Deirdre O’Connell, Micheal Ward and Clifton Collins Jr., with Aster delivering a story that blends dark comedy, political tension and the absurdity of modern life. With sweeping cinematography from Darius Khondji (Se7en, Uncut Gems) and meticulous production design by Elliott Hostetter.

Aster unpacks the cultural forces that shape our beliefs, weaponise division, and leave communities struggling to reconnect. Beneath the humour and spectacle lies a sobering warning about the powers that control information and the cost of losing common ground.

Highly recommended by Movieland, EDDINGTON is provocative, urgent and impossible to ignore. It is not just a film – it is an event.

EDDINGTON storms into Australian cinemas August 21.