What 2025 neo-Western thriller film, written and directed by Ari Aster, features Joaquin Phoenix as a small-town sheriff and Pedro Pascal as the mayor, set in New Mexico during the COVID-19 pandemic?

The 2025 neo-Western thriller film described, featuring Joaquin Phoenix as a small-town sheriff and Pedro Pascal as the mayor in New Mexico during the COVID-19 pandemic, is titled Eddington (Review). Written and directed by Ari Aster, the film marks a distinct shift in genre for the acclaimed filmmaker, known for his earlier works in the horror genre. Eddington delves into the fraught atmosphere of a fictional New Mexico town, where the differing perspectives of Sheriff Joe Cross and Mayor Ted Garcia on pandemic restrictions ignite a powder keg of political and social turmoil.

Ari Aster, celebrated for his psychological horror films like "Hereditary" and "Midsommar (Review)," ventures into new territory with Eddington, infusing his signature style with elements of a neo-Western. While his previous movies explored themes of trauma and dysfunctional family dynamics, Eddington broadens its scope to a panoramic view of recent political history and societal fractures. The film uses the backdrop of the early COVID-19 pandemic in May 2020 to examine how an "ideological powder keg" can develop within a community, reflecting the anxieties and divisions that emerged during that turbulent period.

Beyond its two central stars, Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal, the ensemble cast of Eddington also features notable actors such as Emma Stone, Austin Butler, Luke Grimes, and Deirdre O'Connell. The narrative explores contemporary American political divisions, the spread of conspiracy theories, and the paranoia that characterized the pandemic era, all set against the unique landscape of New Mexico. Aster himself noted that the film, at its core, is about a data center being built, suggesting a deeper commentary on technology's role in society's fragmentation. Eddington premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2025 and later saw a theatrical release in July 2025.