Alex Garland is in business with again Civil war
Ten years have passed since thenAlex Garland he ventured behind the camera with the charming Ex machina (2014). After that the director was not entirely convincing Annihilation (2018) e Men (2022), which showed the limits of a director who increasingly appeared like an intelligent boy, rather than an intellectual and brilliant author. With Civil war, his fourth feature film, mixes things up by returning to something more concrete and mainstream. A film constructed as a blockbuster for adults, produced by the renowned independent studio A24.
Civil war presents a dystopian future in an America in the midst of civil war. It’s hard not to dread the wait when we look back on it the assault on the Capitol launched by Donald Trump supporters on January 6, 2021, and when we observe the current tense political climate in the United States and the many divisions. However, Alex Garland leaves voluntarily the vagueness of the causes of this civil war. It features only the last few days. But we understand in particular that the country was divided, that two states (Texas and California) joined forces, and that the incumbent president did not hesitate to bomb civilians.

Feeling the wind turn, Lee Smith (Kirsten Dunst), a famous photographer, and Joel (Wagner Moura), the journalist who accompanies him, will cross the country to Washington to witness the inevitable fall of this dictatorial government. They are then joined by Sammy (Stephen McKinley Henderson), a colleague and friend, and… Jessie (Cailee Spaeny)a young girl who wants to follow in Lee Smith’s footsteps.
A war film against war
The great strength of Alex Garland with Civil war is to tell about this distressing climate throughout the journey that the reporters will undertake, with the right balance between realism and sensationalism. From the first moments, we notice the excellent sound work that reinforces the tension that will only increase the crescendo. In one scene we capture the director’s approach and the challenges ahead. During a demonstration, Lee watches the event behind his lens and sees Jessie, more inexperienced than ever. After the explosion caused by a kamikaze, Lee does not let his emotions overcome him and quickly takes his camera back to immortalize the scene.

A chilling sequence that sets the tone. But Alex Garland isn’t just there to propose strong images (even if there are plenty of them). While filming this chaos, the director emphasizes the absurdity that can be found in conflictsand the moral dilemmas for those involved (especially Jessie). This is evidenced by another sequence, in which two armed men attempt to eliminate a sniper in an ambush. Who are they, who shoots them and what group do they belong to? No importance. One shoots, the other returns fire, it’s simple, for the others it will be a question xenophobia or pure malice. It is this lack of legitimate justification on the part of the opposition that is frightening.
Road movie against the backdrop of the apocalypse
Civil war thus manages to combine the tense show and the great visual beauty, with an evidently committed discussion on political divisions in the United States. But beyond this general setting, there is the complexity of the protagonists, e.g their contradictions, which reveal the director’s nihilistic vision. “Mannian” characters, presented as true professionals, capable of ignore their emotions. These contradictions can be seen from Joel’s less noble intentions (towards Jessie), or from Lee Smith’s internal discomfort. There is therefore an incompatibility between the words of the characters and their actions, between a mission of fantasized heroism it is a matter of fact.

Alex Garland remarkably captures Lee’s brokenness, in this moment of introspection where he peacefully gazes at the grass in the midst of sniper shots. All chaotic trip will therefore lead Lee to his emotional downfall, while Jessie will take the opposite path. From a novice tested by events, she will become a true dehumanized machine during an explosive finale, a point of no return for both. Bringing together the trajectories of these two women, perfectly played by Kirsten Dunst and Cailee Spaeny, Alex Garland develops a dark and pessimistic reflection on the world as a warning. From this emerges a feeling of desperation Civil war in the air ofApocalypse now (1979). A captivating film in every way that leaves no one unscathed.
Civil war by Alex Garland, in theaters from April 17, 2024. Above is the trailer. Find all our trailers here.
Source: Cine Serie

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