Overview

• The film opens nationwide on Friday, 22 August, with no UK streaming release announced.
• The Independent hails it as a “brilliant, blood‑soaked skewering of modern America,” praising the ensemble performances and Darius Khondji’s cinematography.
• Radio Times notes a mixed early reception and gives the Cannes cut three stars, calling it “thematically rich but overlong.”
• Joaquin Phoenix leads as Sheriff Joe Cross, with Pedro Pascal, Emma Stone and Austin Butler in key roles under writer‑director Ari Aster.
• Set in 2020, the story tackles mask mandates, Black Lives Matter protests and online radicalisation in a modern‑Western style, and is rated 15 with a 149‑minute runtime.