“Eddington,” appropriately enough, has been divisive. Since its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May, Aster’s film has had one of the most polarizing receptions of the year among critics. Even in Cannes, Aster seemed to grasp its mixed response. “I don’t know what you think,” he told the crowd.

The fear he was feeling fueled the screenplay for his latest film, Eddington. Set in the fictional small town of Eddington, New Mexico, during the pandemic, the neo-Western dark comedy tells the story of Sheriff Joe Cross (Joaquin Phoenix) butting heads with the town’s mayor Ted Garcia ( Pedro Pascal) over the state’s face mask mandates.