Civil War follows four journalists as they follow the war that has broken out within the United States, who are apparently no longer united. Their mission is to interview the president, but it is a dangerous path to get there. One of them is new to photojournalism, and must learn as she goes. There is enough foreshadowing in the subtext of the film that you know at least one of them will not make it there alive.
This film gives an honest glimpse into war. Brutal. Violent. Deadly. Kirsten Dunst’s character even states that she thought she was sending photos of war zones home as a warning to not let it happen on American soil, but obviously no one was listening. It represents a future that many of us do not want, but one that could very well happen. I feel like this is director Alex Garland sending the photos home hoping we see the warning. Hoping we can fight for a different future. The question remains. Are we even listening?
Like many of Alex Garland’s films which include Ex Machina and Annihilation, Civil War is thought provoking in a way that stays with you after the theater. Like his previous screenplays for 28 Days Later and Never Let Me Go, I found myself so drawn to the characters that I feel like I know them. I fear for them. I feel their heartbreak. Alex Garland is a brilliant writer and we are lucky to have him.
Kirsten Dunst is so very brilliant as the photojournalist who has seen the violence so often that she has turned off her emotions to it. Wagner Moura and Cailee Spaeny are the opposite of Dunst. They feel everything, want everything, having not been desensitized to the harsh realities of war.
This film is beautifully shot, as though you were just on a road trip to see some beautiful places. One sequence is shot at night as they drive through a forest fire. It’s so beautiful that it is easy to forget that they are driving into a war zone. That they are, in every moment, in mortal danger.
Four and a half out of five stars, because this film has so much to say about the state of our modern world, and it says it well.
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Becky Tyler Art and Photography 
Civil War follows four journalists as they follow the war that has broken out within the United States, who are apparently no longer united. Their mission is to interview the president, but it is a dangerous path to get there. One of them is new to photojournalism, and must learn as she goes. There is enough foreshadowing in the subtext of the film that you know at least one of them will not make it there alive.
This film gives an honest glimpse into war. Brutal. Violent. Deadly. Kirsten Dunst’s character even states that she thought she was sending photos of war zones home as a warning to not let it happen on American soil, but obviously no one was listening. It represents a future that many of us do not want, but one that could very well happen. I feel like this is director Alex Garland sending the photos home hoping we see the warning. Hoping we can fight for a different future. The question remains. Are we even listening?
Like many of Alex Garland’s films which include Ex Machina and Annihilation, Civil War is thought provoking in a way that stays with you after the theater. Like his previous screenplays for 28 Days Later and Never Let Me Go, I found myself so drawn to the characters that I feel like I know them. I fear for them. I feel their heartbreak. Alex Garland is a brilliant writer and we are lucky to have him.
Kirsten Dunst is so very brilliant as the photojournalist who has seen the violence so often that she has turned off her emotions to it. Wagner Moura and Cailee Spaeny are the opposite of Dunst. They feel everything, want everything, having not been desensitized to the harsh realities of war.
This film is beautifully shot, as though you were just on a road trip to see some beautiful places. One sequence is shot at night as they drive through a forest fire. It’s so beautiful that it is easy to forget that they are driving into a war zone. That they are, in every moment, in mortal danger.
Four and a half out of five stars, because this film has so much to say about the state of our modern world, and it says it well.
Discover more from Becky Tyler Art and Photography
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
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