TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES, N.M. — Past a petrified mastodon skull and display cases of glittering gypsum and halite, Ari Aster is gesturing to a room where, conjuring a bit of movie magic, he made Joaquin Phoenix fall through a roof, onto the bones of Geronimo.

In the A24 horror auteur's Eddington, Joaquin Phoenix is a small-town sheriff struggling to keep the peace in a locked-down town.

Joaquin Phoenix couldn't figure out his Eddington character, Joe Cross, until director Ari Aster did something that inadvertently unlocked the role for him.

Happening during Ted's re-election campaign, Joe decides to combat Ted by running against him. At home, Joe lives with his stunted wife Louise (Emma Stone), who passes time by painting odd-looking dolls, and his conspiracy theorist mother-in-law, Dawn (Deirdre O'Connell).

Travis Hopsin of Punch Drunk Critics says the fear surrounding the pandemic, Black Lives Matter and the George Floyd protests that’s depicted in Eddington is “designed to enrage us,” but the most terrifying part of Ari Aster’s film is how accurate it is. The critic says:

Joaquin Phoenix breaks down his performance as Joe in Eddington and reveals why he wants to keep working with Ari Aster.

Heredity” and “Midsommar” director Ari Aster takes on contemporary America in “Eddington,” in theaters Friday.