Slick slow slog

Politics is a grubby business in writer-director Ari Aster's fourth feature, which continues a steady descent into madness from his impressive debut Hereditary via the gore-slathered terror of Midsommar and apocalyptic tragicomedy Beau Is Afraid.

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The New York-born filmmaker reunites with actor Joaquin Phoenix for a tonally haphazard portrait of small-town life set in May 2020 when paranoia percolated as communities came to terms with the impact of Covid-19 induced isolation.