Ari Aster’s ‘Eddington’ Gets Muted Response at Starry Cannes Debut With Joaquin Phoenix, Emma Stone and Pedro Pascal (2025)

The credits have rolled on Eddington, Ari Aster’s latest A24 movie that came into the Cannes Film Festival as one of the most anticipated films of the fest.

While some in the balcony section of the audience departed the screening during the credits, Aster and his starry cast embraced during its somewhat muted 5 minute standing ovation, with Emma Stone, Austin Butler, Luke Grimes, Clifton Collins Jr. all embracing. A tearful Joaquin Phoenix earned big applause from the Lumiere theater crowd.

“Idon’tknow what to say.Idon’t know what you think,” Aster said, while also thanking all of his collaborators. “I feel very privileged to be here. This is a dream come true.” He then added to laughs, “Idon’tknow. Sorry?”

The film takes place in May 2020 and is set in a small town in New Mexico, where the local sheriff (Phoenix) faces off against the mayor (Pascal). The plot has been kept under wraps, but in the trailer for the film, news coverage and social media posts revisit the chaotic COVID pandemic era, from reports tracking the virus’ spread to the rising racial reckoning and protests against police brutality that erupted in the summer.

Wrote The Hollywood Reporter chief film critic David Rooney in his review: “Essentially a modern Western marbled with a vein of dark comedy, the movie is neither suspenseful nor funny enough to work as either. Mostly, it’s a distancing slog.”

Ahead of the screening, the cast received a warm welcome, earning applause as they entered the theater, where many of them are Cannes veterans. Pascal, Phoenix and Stone are all returning to the Croisette, where each has premiered projects like Phoenix’s 2017 competition film You Were Never Really Here and Stone’s features from filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos.

Eddington is screening in the fest’s main competition section, where it is up against films from the likes of Wes Anderson, Lucia Ducournau and Lynne Ramsay.