“Eddington” is Aster’s follow-up to 2023’s “Beau Is Afraid.” The film stars Joaquin Phoenix as a paranoid man who embarks on a surreal journey to attend his mother’s funeral. He faces his greatest fear along the way.

In her four-star review of Eddington for The Independent, critic Sophie Monks Kaufman wrote: “Set in 2020, amid a pandemic and the Black Lives Matter protests sparked by the police killing of George Floyd, Eddington initially sticks closely to Aster’s usual character template.”

(Photo: AP)

“This is Aster’s funniest film to date, and uses an ever-expanding and changing cast over a 150-minute runtime with well-observed and visually arresting humor…”.

After premiering at Cannes , “Eddington” is scheduled to be released in theaters on July 18.

The Cannes premiere of “Eddington” marks Aster’s first time at the festival. His feature debut, the acclaimed thriller “Hereditary,” debuted at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival.

“I don’t know what you guys think,” Aster joked to the crowd at the Cannes premiere of “Eddington.” “Thank you for being here. I feel very honored to be here. This is a dream come true. Thank you very much!”

“It’s been an amazing experience. I love all the people around me,” added the 38-year-old New York-born director.

Meanwhile, Joaquin Phoenix could not hold back his tears and the actor cried at the Cannes Film Festival – when receiving a long standing ovation for him and the members of the “Eddington” film crew.

The Cannes Film Festival takes place from May 13 and will last until May 24.