Writer/director Alex Garland explored the near future in two of his previous three features. In EX MACHINA he pondered the possibilities of emerging technology and the rise of sentient artificial beings. Then in ANNIHILATION, he tackled the results of alien contact and the impact on the ecology and the military response to it. With this new film, Garland goes “back to the future”, though it’s not centuries ahead, but rather a time that could be “just around the corner”, spawned from events happening right now. And it’s not gizmos or ETs that propel the cautionary fable. No, it’s the dangers of hatred and intolerance that divide the country and lead to a CIVIL WAR. It’s not the first time, but it could be the last…
We’re not shown the causes or origin (no “first shot heard ’round the world” flashback). Instead, we’re “backstage’ as the “third-term” President (Nick Offerman) readies himself before a televised address to the fractured United States. War is already raging between the federal military and the Western Forces (WF) of California and Texas, and some other states may be joining them (Florida is mentioned in the speech). And where there’s war, there are journalists (writers and photogs) on the ground. In NYC, celebrated “shutterbug” Lee Smith (Kirsten Dunst) is at the front lines with scribe pal Joel (Wagner Moura) during a violent clash between citizens and soldiers. During the mayhem, Lee assists a battered young woman named Jessie (Cailee Spaeny), who has a dream of following in Lee’s footsteps. However, Lee strongly discourages her and insists that she return home. Later, at a local hotel filled with press from around the globe, Lee and Joel meet up with an old pal, veteran New York Times reporter Sammy (Stephen McKinley Henderson), who gets the duo to share their big plans, They’ll go the “long route” to get into the now fortress-like D.C. and somehow get an interview with the President (who has been “unavailable”). They give into Sammy’s pleading and decide to take him along. Early the next morning Lee is shocked to discover that Joel has taken on another travel partner, Jessie. After some bickering they hit the trail, making a “big circle” to enter the “back door” of the Capital. But can they survive the horrors and threats that await them down every highway and side road?
Her role as the veteran photojournalist proves to be a “high-water mark’ in the now 35-year feature film career of Ms. Dunst. The early street riot sequence gives us an insight into Lee’s character with merely Dunst’s “coiled” body language and her “taking in everything” glare under heavy “seen it all” eyelids. it appears she’s trying to file this with the far-flung conflicts she’s covered until the realization that this is happening in her “old backyard” truly hits home (it nearly paralyzes her in the big finale). A “fun” visit to a dress shop reminds her of a life she could have lived. The same is true in her relationship with Jessie as Lee tries to push her aside, then experiences a maternal joy (or perhaps as a “big sister”) in protecting and mentoring her. This film, coming off her splendid work in THE POWER OF THE DOG, really showcases Dunst’s mature acting skills. Interestingly, Ms. Spaevy’s career trajectory is so similar to the first decade of Dunst on screen. So terrific in last year’s PRISCILLA, Spaevy captures the dichotomy of Jessie, bouncing from young wide-eyed innocent to devious “climber” to headstrong post-teen making very dangerous choices to get her “props” from the seniors. We want to shield her while she still annoys us. And we finally see her ‘take the reins” as Spaevy shows us that Jessie is now a true battlefield daredevil. Much like Moura’s aspiring “swashbuckler for truth” Joel who plunges into the thick of “it”, then must try and bluff his way out of the consequences. On the opposite end is Henderson, who has also seen too much but can’t shake the “rush” even as he becomes more frustrated by his failing physicality. He knows he has his cohorts’ respect, but he fears becoming a burden and slowing them down. Offerman uses his stern gravitas to give a sinister spin on the typical blustery lying politico. But the film’s big scene stealer may be Jesse Plemons as a taunting militia bully who becomes the biggest “poster boy” for the erosion of humanity via callous banal acts of evil.
As mentioned earlier, Garland dives confidently from the worlds of science fiction, with the detour into horror with MEN, into speculative fiction with a slight hint of satire as he distorts the already twisted political atmosphere of these times. Once we get past some of the wilder concepts (“blue” Callie and “roarin’ red” Texas teaming is a big stretch), he drops us into this nightmarish “what if” fable. The villains are not easily labeled as each side commits truly barbaric acts. In one scene we side with WF who seem hopelessly “pinned down” until the battle takes a turn, ending when we find the “underdogs” take no prisoners. Yes, it is a cautionary tale, but also a tribute to the recently maligned press (we’re told that they kill members of the press on-site in DC). Lee and her team could turn back, but it’s just not in their DNA, even as they use any “downtime” to numb themselves with booze and weed. Perhaps that’s to chronicle the carnage and snap pics of a steaming pile of entrails that was a person mere seconds before. Garland also has elements of a road trip/odyssey as the crew encounters a stadium-turned-tent shelter city and a serene main street that seems removed from it all, until a big reveal. Surprisingly the film is beautifully rendered, whether driving on a highway as bodies dangle from rope tied to the overpass, to that excruciatingly tense encounter with Plemons and his murderous cohorts. Kudos to the sound techs who have crafted an immersive mix of arsenal fire, screams, and nature still being heard. The audio may be at its best, along with the rest of the film, in the dizzying final act assault on democracy’s home which gives us a sense of the chaos and desperation of those “boots on the ground”. Maybe it took a filmmaker from the “mother country” to craft the compelling, haunting, and very sobering “wake-up call” that is CIVIL WAR.
3.5 Out of 4
CIVIL WAR is now playing in theatres everywhere.
