Ari Aster is one of the unique auteurs making movies today, commanding respect from critics, audiences, and his fellow filmmakers alike. Aster is best known for writing and directing the A24 horror movies Hereditary and Midsommar. His feature debut was a deeply unsettling family drama wrapped in supernatural horror, which earned over $87 million at the box office, becoming A24’s highest-grossing тιтle at the time.

Following his breakout, Aster returned with Midsommar (2019), a folk horror film that follows a group of college students who travel to Sweden for a festival that occurs once every 90 years and find themselves in the clutches of a cult claiming to practice paganism. Midsommar received positive reviews from critics, and audiences were once again mesmerized by Aster’s blend of emotional trauma and atmospheric terror.

Aster shifted away from horror with Beau Is Afraid (2023), which follows an anxiety-riddled man’s surreal odyssey to visit his mother’s home. Though it received mostly positive reviews, reactions were more mixed compared to his first two films, and Beau Is Afraid bombed at the box office. Now, Aster’s next movie might be his most divisive yet, but it’s receiving praise from one of the greatest filmmakers alive.

Martin Scorsese Shares A Glowing Review Of Ari Aster’s Eddington

It’s Been Dividing Critics

Martin Scorsese has offered high praise for Ari Aster’s Eddington. His new film – combining elements of neo-Western, satire, and dark comedy – follows the conflict between a sheriff (Joaquin Phoenix) and the mayor (Pedro Pascal) in the fictional small town of Eddington, New Mexico, during the COVID-19 pandemic, which causes tensions to erupt and turns neighbor against neighbor.

In addition to Phoenix and Pascal, Eddington‘s star-studded cast also includes Yellowstone‘s Luke Grimes, Deirdre O’Connell, Micheal Ward, Oscar nominee Austin Butler (Elvis), and two-time Oscar winner Emma Stone (La La Land, Poor Things) in supporting roles.

Now, in a new profile of Ari Aster by The New York Times, Martin Scorsese shared a glowing review of Eddington. The director, a longtime admirer of Aster, says that his new film “externalizes the emotional violence” behind its brutality. Scorsese continues by saying that Eddington “dives right into the side of American life that many people can’t bear to look at or even acknowledge — no one wants to listen to anyone else, which is frightening.”

What Martin Scorsese’s Review Means For Eddington

The Director Sees Something Deeper

While Eddington reviews from critics have fixated on its jarring tonal shifts and other perceived flaws, Scorsese sees something deeper and more urgent. Rather than dismissing the film’s tonal fluidity, Scorsese interprets it as a deliberate reflection of the social and emotional chaos that simmers beneath the surface of American life.

What critics see as dissonance, Scorsese sees as resonance – Eddington holds a mirror up to the fracturing of community and communication in a pandemic-stricken world. Scorsese’s praise carries immense weight, not just because of his legacy, but because of his deep commitment to the art of cinema itself.

It speaks volumes for Scorsese to champion Eddington as a work that dares to confront uncomfortable truths. In a cultural landscape crowded with safe storytelling, it’s rare and significant when a film earns such praise from one of the greatest living cinephiles – someone who doesn’t just watch films, but truly understands them.

Source: The New York Times