Is ‘Eddington’ Based On A True Story?

With all the social and political turmoil of the era, the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic sure did feel like the Wild West. With his new film Eddington, now on digital, director Ari Aster takes this fact and runs with it, creating a modern spaghetti Western rife with mask mandates and COVID conspiracy theories. The topical setting gives the impression that the film may be based on true events, but is it? Read on to find out.

Set in the fictional town of Eddington, New Mexico, sheriff Joe Cross (Joaquin Phoenix) clashes with mayor Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal) over their differing approaches to the outbreak of COVID. When Joe runs for mayor against Ted, tensions rise throughout the county due to Black Lives Matter protests, criminal activity, and even a local cult.

The film eventually devolves into madness, and it feels impossible that any of it could be based on a true story. Then again, a lot of the heated debates and wild theories spouted by the film’s characters feel like they were pulled directly from real Pandemic-era talking points. Here’s what we know about the inspiration behind Eddington.

Is Eddington Based On A True Story?

Yes and no. All characters and events included in Eddington are entirely fictional, though the opinions expressed by the film’s characters related to the pandemic and other socio-political issues like Black Lives Matter were certainly pulled from real debates that occurred at the time. 

The film as a whole pulled influence from the ways in which COVID affected small towns. In fact, the central conflict between Joe and Ted was inspired by the story of a real-life feud between a sheriff and a mayor in New Mexico. A New Mexico native, Aster tells Vulture how his conversations with small town law enforcement helped inform the film.

“Many of the characters in the film are modeled on different people I met,” Aster says. “For instance, Joaquin’s character is based on the sheriff of a vast county with a small population. He had a very passionate, long-standing feud with the mayor. And the mayor was a really interesting guy who, before he ran for mayor, went to town hall with a gun on his person, and he was ejected from town hall…And he won!”

The director continues, “The sheriff and him were really at odds on a lot of things, especially mask mandates. Joe Cross is based on that man, even his wardrobe. I flew back out to New Mexico so that Joaquin could meet him…and we spent a day just driving around the county with the sheriff. He came to set several times to consult.”

You can buy a digital copy of Eddington on platforms like Amazon Prime, Fandango At Home, and Apple TV now.