NZIFF 2025 Craccum Coverage | Eddington

Review by Madeline Smith

A much better film in terms of comedy, direction and pacing than Ari Aster’s previous film Beau Is Afraid, and the first film of his that I can say I enjoyed. My issues with Aster’s overall work are still prominent though, namely his juvenile worldview and emphasis on writing caricatures rather than characters. The film goes for obvious and low-hanging fruit targets such as performative protestors, right-wing cops and conspiracy theorists. It often feels like a 150 minute South Park episode. While the film has fairly obvious takes on these topics, allegations of both sides-ism are somewhat unfounded. The protestors are represented as being annoying and self-righteous, but the most brutal acts of violence are committed by the right-wing characters, and the looming AI corporation appears to doom everyone. It’s cynical, but there is at least a little more on its mind than “everyone is stupid”. The film is also for better or for worse the product of someone who has spent a lot of time doomscrolling, and whether or not you find its commentary compelling it at least captures the zeitgeist of the 2020s better than other contemporary satires. Aster’s mise-en-scène is also very good here  - the characterisation and humour is often stronger in the onscreen details than in the writing itself.