A journey across a dystopian future America, following a team of military-embedded journalists as they race against time to reach DC before rebel factions descend upon the White House.
Writer/director Alex Garland begins his latest movie, “Civil War,” in a jarring manner. As the logos appear on the screen, the speakers unleash the sound of harsh static, moving between the speakers positioned throughout the auditorium one at a time in quick succession. Those familiar with configuring their home theater system will recognize the sound. It’s a sound that I’ve always found unsettling and uncomfortable to sit with for long. It’s loud, unpleasant, and immediately signifies to the viewer the type of film they are about to witness.
Garland follows this with roughly captured images from what appear to be protests or riots. How these are presented leaves the viewer questioning whether these moments are actual footage captured in recent years from any number of protests or riots within the United States or if these are scripted and photographed specifically for this film. Those images are another way Garland initiates viewers into the fictional, yet not so unbelievable, dystopia of “Civil War.”
The film follows photographer Lee (Kirsten Dunst) and journalist Joel (Wagner Moura) as they cross the war-torn United States in their Press vehicle in an attempt to question the current President (Nick Offerman). Lee and Joel have obviously been doing this for some time. Both appear unaffected as they document the scenes unfurling in front of them. Lee even carries on a conversation with a young, inexperienced photographer, Jessie (Cailee Spaeny), in an early scene as the public clashes with armed forces around them.
Garland does not reveal any background for the ongoing war, leaving viewers to ponder what the opposing sides are fighting over. We know that California and Texas have formed an alliance called the Western Forces, and they are looking to take out the President, who is now in his third term in office. This war is not a Democrat versus Republican situation. How bad would things have been if two states, usually at odds with one another, formed a union?
Lee and Joel are joined by Sammy (Stephen McKinley Henderson) and Jessie, who have coerced Joel into letting her come along on their journey. Sammy appears to be Lee and Joel’s mentor/father figure, while Jessie is a wannabe starting her career. Jessie juxtaposes with Lee’s jaded veteran (Lee could very well be an extension of Dunst’s character from Lars von Trier’s film “Melancholia.” Dunst is just as detached and emotionless here). Jessie’s an eager-eyed, hungry hopeful who can’t correctly function when things begin to happen. It’s no mystery that Jessie will spell trouble for the group.
This leads to the following questions: Where has Jessie been throughout the ongoing fights (Lee or Joel comments that the battles have been going on for months), and why is she looking to start her career in photojournalism at this particular moment? As Garland has with other points, he leaves these questions unanswered, implying Jessie is a surrogate of sorts for the audience.
As atrocities continue, the camera looks on with disinterest. Shots of the actors typically show a shallow depth of field, with everything around the actor out of focus. Scenes are frequently interrupted by shots taken from Jessie or Lee’s camera, offering an aloof, clinical view of the action and alarming imagery. Garland continually detaches the viewer from the occurring horrors.
While the trailer for this film implies that it will be action-heavy and have viewers on the edge of their seats, Garland focuses more on his characters (however, harrowing/disturbing sequences are scattered throughout). Mostly, these characters seem fully realized. It’s only toward the movie’s end that they start acting a bit out of character. For example, I found it hard to believe that Lee would delete a photo from her camera.
As a whole, “Civil War” worked for me. It kept my attention and kept me engaged throughout. It’s stark and dreary, thriving on its vagueness. This isn’t looking to take a side in the current US political climate. Instead, it’s looking to serve as a cautionary tale. Like events foretold by Dicken’s Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, this is an entirely plausible nightmare scenario that could come to pass if we aren’t careful. Garland has transformed our own backyard into hell.
In Theaters Friday, April 12th
