Civil War offers no explanation as Alex Garland oversees deplorable inhumanity and explores a shattered America. The film intentionally does not pick sides as it brutally bears witness to the worst of civilization and forces its audience to reckon with a warning of what could unfold in the near future. 

The beginning of Alex Garland’s Civil War is the ending of the war at the center of his brutal, unnerving exploration of humanity and America through the lens of journalists.  Garland is not setting out to answer questions or choose sides in his film; he instead imposes these questions or discussions to be had on the audience. Civil War is an exploration of how much humanity is left in society at its worst and unlike in Garland’s last film, Men, he expertly pulls off the assessment here. 

The visuals throughout the film will haunt, disturb, and shake many, including myself, but that’s the point. By using combat journalists as the viewpoint of the film, Garland allows for the film to stand by and show the violence and disturbing imagery without the how or why this America got to this point in history.

Civil War is not a film about a new America, the shaping and origins of a fictional Civil War, or even American politics. Garland trusts audiences perhaps more than he should, to unpack visuals and form their own conclusions of not just the story he’s telling, but what warning to take from the film. The film starts as California and Texas have seceded from the Union and formed a military known as the “Western Forces,” hellbent on marching to Washington D.C. and taking down the President (Nick Offerman), who is on his third term and delivers a speech on impending victory, even as the White House becomes surrounded by the enemy. We watch his speech through the eyes of longtime war photographer Lee (Kirsten Dunst) and her road partner, Joel (Wagner Moura). 

Joel and Lee have a goal, to get out of New York and get a one-on-one interview with a President who has a hatred for journalists and hasn’t done an interview in over a year. Still, they’re sure they can sit him down if they can just get to D.C. before the Western Forces take over the White House. Before they can leave New York for the once capitol of the United States, they pick up an experienced reporter Sammy (Stephen McKinley Henderson) and very young photojournalist Jessie (Cailee Spaeny). Lee consistently makes comments about Sammy slowing them down and Jessie not being ready for what their trip entails. As they head on a long trip to the D.C., they come across burning buildings, insurrectionists, armed townspeople, and just absolute wreckage of what was once America. Jessie comes close to death early on the road trip in one of the many tense scenes in the film. While Lee was at first apprehensive about Jessie joining them, the two women bond over the need they feel to capture the history unfolding around them despite the unspoken effects this will have on them. 

As the reporters continue their journey, Garland captures the wreckage of what was once the United States. From abandoned towns to empty shopping malls to tanks in residential areas, Garland does effectively capture a life left behind as brutal violence swept the nation quite literally. Alongside the horrific violence taking place, our main characters are perhaps not as developed as many would want. Garland is creating a strong parallel from the story of Civil War to his characters; these characters are there, just as Garland, to capture an image through their own lens and others to draw the conclusions. At one point in the film, Lee essentially says this word for word to Jessie. The characters and Garland are conjuring images to shock us, break us, and wake us up to what lies ahead. Civil War is not about how the America in the film gets to the war, it’s showing us the disturbing truth of what happens if things continue after it is too late to change. Lee, Jessie, Joel, and Sammy act as if the events unfolding around them are not changing them, but when they’re alone, Garland allows us to see how everything has not only impacted their mental being but changed them. 

The imagery in Garland’s film will stick with audiences no matter how they feel about the film itself. It’s meant to provoke a visceral, physical reaction and while for some the lack of a side chosen or message may not be enough to defend what we see on screen, for some, it will make it all the more effective. Civil War offers no explanation as Garland oversees deplorable inhumanity and explores a shattered America. The film intentionally does not pick sides as it brutally bears witness to the worst of civilization and forces its audience to reckon with a warning of what could unfold in the near future. 

Grade: A-

Oscars Prospects:
Likely: None
Should be Considered: Best Sound, Best Film Editing

Release Date: April 12, 2024
Where to Watch: In Theaters

Kenzie Vanunu
she/her @kenzvanunu
Lives in LA with her husband, daughter and dog. Misses Arclight, loves iced vanilla coffees.
Favorite Director: David Cronenberg
Sign: Capricorn