Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal and Emma Stone take on early 2020 pandemic crises of every sort in Ari Aster’s “Eddington.”

Set in the fictional New Mexico town of Eddington, the narrative centers on a standoff between Sheriff Joe Cross (Joaquin Phoenix) and Mayor Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal), a hostility that bleeds into the community and sparks division, conspiracy theories ...

While Joker was the first time that Phoenix has taken home an Oscar, he had been shortlisted three times for the high-honors award. One of the most impressive aspects of Phoenix's performance is his capacity to completely become a character to the extent that he merges with it completely—a trademark of method acting.

Set in early 2020, the bleak, black comedy takes on COVID, masks, BLM, police violence, Antifa, white guilt, white grievance and the growth of toxic online influencers.