A24 has unveiled the first trailer for Eddington, Ari Aster’s latest and most grounded work to date. Known for Hereditary, Midsommar, and Beau Is Afraid, Aster trades existential horror for real-world unease in this politically charged Western set during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Set in the remote town of Eddington, New Mexico, the film follows Sheriff Joe Cross (Joaquin Phoenix) and Mayor Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal) as their opposing worldviews push the community to its breaking point.

From its opening moments, the trailer leans into tension and visual symbolism. A red-lit stare-down between Phoenix and Pascal through a rain-streaked window sets the tone—one of suspicion, division, and moral paralysis. Darius Khondji’s cinematography captures the stillness of lockdown life with arid palettes and hauntingly empty public spaces, while Bobby Krlic and Daniel Pemberton’s score adds a layer of ambient dread.

The ensemble includes Emma Stone as Louise Cross, the sheriff’s disillusioned wife, and Austin Butler as Vernon Jefferson Peak, a charismatic cult leader who fuels the town’s spiritual confusion. As misinformation and mistrust take root, Eddington becomes a chilling microcosm of America in crisis.

Glimpses of news clips, protests, and political speeches ground the drama in historical reality—from lockdown measures to election anxiety. Aster’s filmmaking resists spectacle, opting instead for quiet dread and internal collapse. With muted dialogue, long silences, and mounting psychological pressure, Eddington trades shootouts for standoffs and delivers a uniquely claustrophobic portrait of a country at war with itself.

The film opens in theaters July 18 ahead of a wider A24 rollout.