Alex Garland’s Civil War may not be what audiences expected from the teaser trailer. Garland’s film is an explosive cautionary tale more than a manual on how America can avoid a civil war. Garland drops the audience in the middle of an ongoing civil war between the Western Forces (the states of Texas and California) and the United States of America. The film also serves as a visual diary of what a civil war in America could look like.  

The story follows a group of photojournalists, lead by Lee (Kirsten Dunst) and Joel (Wagner Moura). They are planning to make a dangerous journey to Washington D.C to interview the President (Nick Offerman) before the Western Forces make their final advances on D.C. Lee and Joel are joined by veteran New York Times report Sammy (Stephen McKinley Henderson), and a young aspiring journalist named Jessie (Cailee Spaeny). The group makes their way to D.C and witness the carnage and destruction from the war.

The brilliance of Civil War is what’s not on the screen but in the film. Following the photojournalists inserts the audience into the middle of an intense conflict without explaining the hows or whys. What’s not on the screen is revealed through conversation. You learn the war has been going on for some time. The President had a third term, he’s hostile towards the press, bombed U.S citizens, and disbanded the FBI. We also see a Presidential TV address that we quickly learn isn’t the truth.

A lot of commentary on the film is how it’s “apolitical” and I would strongly disagree. The film doesn’t mention a political party or any political ideologies. However, if you follow the breadcrumbs through dialogue and the disturbing visuals, it’s easy to see who and what Garland is pointing to.

The film doesn’t take a strong political stance and that’s precisely why it works. Garland isn’t interested in discussing how the U.S got to this point but interested in showing a possible future for a fractured nation. There are very few moments of joy in the film. As the journalists travel through dystopian America, the characters they encounter are doing what they feel is best for their survival. The film is unnerving because a lot of what you see feels very possible in the near future.

Part of what makes Civil War great is the beautiful way Garland captures the dystopia. There are a few really interesting set pieces like the forest fire scene. It seems odd to capture the brutality of war in such a beautiful way but that’s what makes those images stick long after the film is over.

Civil War is a beautifully intense film. Garland puts a spotlight on what could be. There is nothing hyperbolic or exaggerated. This story is grounded in the ugly realities we live amongst every day. This film is a reminder that the American Civil War feels like 160 years ago and not too long ago at the same time. In light of all of our history, Garland shows us that we may not have learned from it and what would be the result of not learning from our past.

Grade: B+