Debate X NZIFF #10: Eddington

DEBATE X NZIFF | REVIEW | WEB EXCLUSIVE

Written by Joshua Black (he/him) | Contributing Writer

Eddington is about the isolation of society caused by social media in 2020. The titular town is a microcosm of America during this time, and the film uses this for a dark comedy sure to cast an ugly reflection upon the audience.

Main actor Joaquin Phoenix does a great job portraying Joe Cross, a weak man with strong beliefs. Reminiscent of his prior role as Arthur Fleck in Joker, he’s able to convey a pathetic person pushed too far, but leaves little inspiration for incel sigma edits.

Even his strong anti-mask belief is overshadowed as people around him fall further down the conspiracy pipeline. I enjoyed seeing these relationships pull on him throughout the film, as his love for his community is challenged by the rapid polarisation it undergoes.

While it’s sure to target the right, Eddington does not shy from mocking the left. It scolds the inauthentic elements - people who felt the need to support civil rights, mainly to accommodate their larger need to have a story post, or to have ammo for infighting. 

Watching it at the NZIFF really instilled NZ’s love to gloat at all the crazy shit happening “over there”. But as the oldies around me continued to guffaw at white kids failing to grasp modern race theory, our own complicity in understanding could not go unnoticed. It suddenly felt like a boomer comedy in disguise.

Eddington takes a swing at everyone, and that’s a good thing. It doesn’t intend to take sides, it only means to showcase how far those sides have parted. Many repress 2020 as an ugly scar best not dwelled on, but its consequences are not contained in that year. As things get even crazier “over there”, a film that critiques where it all escalated from is a film worth reflecting on.