In the news dystopian thriller of the A24 “Civil War” (Civil War), you can almost hear the writer/director Alex Garland to work through a mountain of complex ideas about how the United States might collapse and what it means for combat reporters to document humanity’s ugliest moments.
The plot follows a photojournalist and a small group of journalists on an adrenaline-fuelled journey through the fractured America of the near future, which is teetering on the edge of a cliff.
But instead of making nuanced statements about America’s political instability or the role journalists play in society, “Civil War” does so from a position of safety, with a story so reluctant to say anything of substance that it often feels as if Garland it has escaped its narrative depth.
THE “Civil War” is sprinkled with details that hint at how the United States eventually descends into widespread chaos after a nameless president (Nick Offerman) refuses to leave the Oval Office after his second term.
But the real focus of the film is on a group of journalists documenting what has happened in the country since a coalition of rebel states known as the Western Front has gone to war with the federal government.
After years of covering other brutal conflicts, we know very little about the second US civil war that seems to be plaguing seasoned reporters Lee (Kirsten Dunst), Joel (Wagner Moura) and Sammy (Stephen McKinley Henderson).
Garland’s script is clearly inspired by bits of American history, such as the presidency of Donald Trump and some states’ flirtation with secession, but we don’t see many of the details that led to the actual “Civil War” confrontation.
The role of journalism
THE film uses its main characters to explore how journalism can – but sometimes doesn’t – help people understand their reality when it feels like everything is based on the paranoia of violence.
Garland understands that there is a very lively element to the journalistic act of turning people’s images and voices into content. And yet, this idea isn’t properly explored as “Civil War” builds to a climactic ending that, while haunting, ultimately feels disappointing and without depth. “Civil War” tackles a plethora of powerful ideas worth exploring, but the film itself isn’t interested in ultimately going that deep.
