Film: Civil War

When asked by Jesse Plemons’ unnamed, “military” character, “…but what kind of American are you?,” it's a question not only directed at our protagonists of Civil War but to us, the audience. The marketing and real-life current political climate fostered my interest, mostly due to witnessing a spike in societal divisions over wealth inequality, race, and gender politics. Civil War gives us the opportunity to peer into this “what-if” alternative reality where we witness the outcome of not overcoming our emotional reactions with civil discourse. It is an anti-war movie witnessed and documented by our journalist protagonists, Lee, Joel, Sammy, and Jessie.

Director Alex Garland’s choice to avoid how we got here helps focus the story on the current state of disrepair. We witness this outcome through the different types of Americans we confront and how they have adapted to survive through our protagonists’ journey from New York City to Washington D.C. I suspect the biggest reasons behind that decision is for the movie’s longevity in pop culture without dating itself, not overcomplicating a storyline with exposition, and not excluding audiences based on political leanings.

We follow the famous wartime journalist Lee (Kirsten Dunst) and charismatic journalist Joel (Wagner Moura), documenting a routine water rationing station turned surprise attack in New York City. It’s a surreal introduction witnessing the familiar sight of a mob on the streets becoming progressively aggressive coupled with the type of attack we commonly see occur in destabilized countries that are military-occupied. We meet aspiring journalist Jessie (Cailee Spaeny), who despite surviving the NYC attack is determined to continue her chosen profession. Lastly, we meet Sammy (Stephen McKinley Henderson), a colleague/sage mentor to the team who speaks with the nostalgic pain of being a New York Times reporter. 

Our protagonists are motivated to document the truth while selfishly wanting to be the first to do so. You see it in thrill-seeking, do-it-yourself Joel. He is motivated to be the first to interview the president, played by Nick Offerman, after the president decreed all press be shot on sight in D.C. Joel’s exuberance and levity is a reminder that he is immune to the atrocities occurring after years of war experience. You see it in Jessie, who is inspired by Lee’s professional start documenting a school shooting around her age. Jessie consistently pushes herself into dangerous situations with a lack of awareness with the goal of taking the perfect photo. While you see that motivation in Lee as well, since it was both her and Joel’s idea to go to D.C., her motivation is tested by Lee’s reluctant mentorship of Jessie. Her reluctance is two-fold. Lee is disillusioned by her profession, explaining that she had hoped her work had been seen back home as warnings of the atrocities of war. Additionally, Lee’s career experience has taken a lot from her emotionally, and seeing Jessie’s raw, emotional reactions to death and destruction reminds Lee of what she had lost. Despite being reminded of his age and physical condition, Sammy seems intent on reliving the thrill of documenting this historical event while gifting the team with knowledge only gained through a lifetime of experience and his heightened sense of awareness to danger.  

The Americans we meet throughout the journey show how Americans in this alt-realty changed and adapted to survive this toxic, dangerous environment. Whether taking pit stops in small towns or driving down backroads, you realize there is no law acting as guide rails to protect everyone. I am reminded that I take for granted how our current society is built on mutual trust to build a safe society. When that trust is gone, we see in this alt-realty how taxing it is to get gas, find a safe place to sleep for the night, and whom we meet on the road. Additionally, sound plays a big part in heightening this feeling, which Garland utilizes with long eerie silences and sudden loud noises very effectively. There were several times when the audience and myself experienced many jump scares, reminding us that danger can occur at any time without warning.

This leads to the climactic, awe-inspiring battle that keeps you at the edge of your seat, ultimately ending in a way that will provoke interesting discussions about whether this could really happen despite your political beliefs. Interestingly, there is a historical precedent that is mentioned by our protagonists in a conversation about the unceremonious ends of Saddam Hussein and General Gaddafi’s regimes. As mentioned at the beginning, I was hooked by the premise that Civil War would explicitly explain how our current political environment would lead to this alt-realty. The movie avoids the heaviness of how society broke and instead focuses on the consequences of the breakdown. This is Garland channeling Lee, sending us a warning about the United States being divided and devoid of trust and safety. I left the movie focused on the question of what kind of American am I. Am I the type to be ruled by emotions and an “I am always right” attitude when faced with a discourse by an opposing view, or am I the type that uses empathy to learn and find commonality to resolve problems? 

Civil War opened in theaters nationwide on Friday, April 12.

Written by Saul Ramos
Images provided by A24