His dark and provocative new film was written "in a state of fear and anxiety about the world," the director said at a Cannes press conference

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.

The Midsommar director turns to a small town during the pandemic for a darkly funny depiction of how the pandemic broke our brains.