Civil War Gives You Front Row Seats To America’s Collapse
Civil War is the latest in a long line of culture war artefacts stirring up American audiences long before the movie even releases in theatres. Now that it’s here on an election year no less, how does it hold up?
Directed by Alex Garland this is primarily a road-trip film following four journalists as they make their way to Washington DC as secessionist forces push toward the White House. The film is down to earth and gritty with flawless cinematography which puts you right in the middle of the action, cutting through the individual dramas and stories as the country unravels. Watching at IMAX every gunshot felt impactful, and visibly made the audience jump. And you know what IMAX, I do believe there is such a thing as “too loud” sometimes. They really want to make sure we get our moneys worth in sound alone sometimes.
The film rotates through tense situations and quiet downtime while the characters unpack their feelings. I then finally culminates in action set piece that leave you on the edge of your seat as you savour every moment. The film does a good job of knowing when to make you conflicted about enjoying a scenario so utterly horrific by occasionally overlaying an upbeat tune to really rub it in. You aren’t alone in this, and the characters themselves all on their own internal journeys slowly slip into a malaise. This is only expedited by the rush of adrenaline of documenting the action right from the frontline.
Wagner Moura’s character hopes to get an interview with the President before time runs out while Stephen McKinley Henderson is an old NYT reporter who provides the heart and soul in his Jiminy Cricket role. The interpersonal drama primarily rolls around Kirsten Dunst, now at her frowniest, and Cailee Spaeny’s young character. Spaeny plays a young upstart photographer who looks up to Dunst’s legendary status as a war photographer, and jumps at the chance to go on a near suicidal drive across the states with her idol. Dunst is in a state of disillusionment as photographing the wars abroad has done nothing to prevent it coming to her own doorstep. Spaeny gets the fullest arc of the group and is emblematic of the psychological changes documenting atrocities can do to someone.
The film dances around trying to be vague about which side is which but shows its hand a couple times for the eagle eyed viewer, mentions of Antifa Massacres and the president dissolving the FBI etc. But if you were going into this movie hoping for some in depth analysis of left vs right you will be sorely disappointed. If you went just hoping to see a personalised spectacle of America’s collapse you’ll be absolutely stoked with what you get.
On the way out the theatre I asked Matt, a professional with an opinion, which Americans he thought this movie would upset most.
“… All of them.”
“Good.”
Do I recommend this film? Yes I do.
