Having kick-started his directing career with two horror films, Hereditary and Midsommar, US director Ari Aster pivoted for his third feature 2023’s surrealist tragicomedy Beau is Afraid.

He pivots once again for his latest effort, following a US town in 2020 coming to terms with COVID and everything that entails.

Welcome to Eddington, New Mexico, where the community is attempting to cope with the restrictions placed upon them by the pandemic.

Keeping order is Sheriff Joe Cross (Joaquin Phoenix), who himself is struggling with the outbreak, suffering from asthma as he does, and refusing to wear a mask in public.

He finds himself clashing with the mayor, Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal), who he doesn’t particularly see eye to eye with on a number of topics concerning the town.

He doesn’t like what’s happening to his town, so he decides to do something about it, and announces that he’s going to run for mayor.

It’s a decision however, that sees dramatic changes to his life, and those around him, including his wife Louise (Emma Stone), as tension builds within a community that starts to spin wildly out of control.

Aster continues his off-beat approach to storytelling with yet another cinematic curiosity.

Eddington is a little overwhelming with its bulging, all encompassing narrative, that tackles a myriad of issues, capturing a mood of uncertainty and fear, featuring racism, riots, social injustice, misinformation to dizzying effect.

One main topic more than most appears however and that’s mental health issues, with sheriff Cross struggling more than most throughout, especially with the collapse of his marriage.

Aster seems determined to become an auteur, at any cost, and although that can often be at the expense of making his audience work harder than necessary, he’s developing a unique style, that equally frustrates and challenges.

And yes this is flawed, no doubt about it, and at least 30 minute too long, and yet it’s difficult not to be quietly impressed by this remarkable piece of cinema.

It also manages to document a time in history when the pandemic saw the norm completely re-defined, illustrating as it does the widespread sense of confusion and fear.

Aster is a distinctive talent, of that there’s no question, and although much of this film is sluggish, he always manages to drawn you, like a moth to a flame, with an intriguing, albeit bloated storyline.

He certainly gets a lot from Phoenix, who proves once again how brave he is, tackling such a complex and ugly character such as Cross; he does it in such a way that you almost root for him, even after his sheriff crosses the line on more than one occasion.

There is also the ubiquitous Pascal, who appears to be everywhere when you open your eyes, who only adds to rumours that he is indeed cloned.

The real star is Aster though, who despite the congested first two thirds of the film, delivers quite a spectacular finale, with one scene that may well find you holding your breath during it, without you even realising.

You have to kind of admire his stubbornness to produce anything commercial, and although he doesn’t always get it right, even with this, this is his most captivating effort to date, from a director offering a bold and bullish vision.