Culture Crash: The Deeper Themes Behind The New Film, “Civil War”

WELCOME TO CULTURE CRASH, WHERE WE EXAMINE WHAT’S NEW AND OLD IN ENTERTAINMENT.

Writer/director Alex Garland has been pushing the boundaries of genre storytelling for years, but he’s never made something quite as politically provocative and controversial as his latest movie, Civil War. The film imagines what a contemporary Civil War would look like in this country, with American roads and cities serving as the backdrop for flash bombings and mass chaos.

The movie has been generally well received, but has also been a lightning rod for debate on the internet. Garland made the creative choice to never really spell out for audiences what this Civil War is being fought over. There are breadcrumbs you can put together, but the movie serves as something of a Rorschach test, where audiences are able to project their own beliefs onto the fighting in whichever way they want. The details we do know are that the president is serving his third term in office and broadcasting missives over the airwaves projecting confidence that his side will win. The other side is an unlikely alliance between Texas and California, which have banded together to fight the US government forces.

But the political specifics are not what matter to the film, which instead follows a group of wartime journalists who are chasing the story. Early on in the film, Kirsten Dunst’s character Lee explains that in her career as a war photographer shooting photos in other countries, she thought she was, quote “sending a message home: ‘Don’t do this.’” Then, she adds, “But here we are.” More than any one political stance, Civil War is a movie that wants to serve as a warning. The images of a war-torn America are terrifying to witness, and that’s the point. In this age of polarization, this movie seeks to amplify a message hopefully everyone can get behind: Let’s not let our differences drive us to war.

With breathtaking cinematography and great performances from Dunst, as well as Cailee Spaeny, Wagner Moura, and a short but powerful appearance by Jesse Plemons, Civil War is a movie that will likely stick with you beyond its runtime.