The movie, set in a small New Mexico town where the local sheriff (Phoenix) decides to run against the COVID-conscious mayor (Pascal), received a muted response at its Friday night premiere.

CANNES, France (AP) — Ari Aster’s COVID-era Western “Eddington,” about a 2020 America quickly losing its mind to conspiracy theories, TikTok and political extremism, premiered to a mixed reception at the Cannes Film Festival.

Set in the pandemic’s early days, the noted horror director’s Covid comedy satirizes the national mood during lockdown. Reactions have been polarizing.