Civil War, the latest collaboration between acclaimed director Alex Garland and A24, is a what-if story of what could happen to America if we fell into conflict with ourselves as told from the lens of wartime photojournalists. It follows Lee (Kirsten Dunst) and Joel (Wagner Moura), two war photojournalists who set out on a cross-country road trip through America amid widespread war to Washington DC as they chase a story. Tagging along the pair are industry veteran and mentor Sammy (Stephen McKinley Henderson) and total newcomer Jessie (Cailee Spaeny). Together, the four encounter the horrors of war for citizens and soldiers alike if the United States were to fall into a Civil War, capturing each intimate moment on camera.
It cannot be understated how impressive Garland is at building tension. The anxiety from scene to scene and the unexpected nature of the plot kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. There are very few breaks in Civil War, and just when you think things are calming down, the film jump cuts straight into the action. It’s startling and smart and just what the film needed.
Civil War dances around a greater idea of what happens to America in a civil war and what would cause such a thing to arise in the first place. The reasons for the setting to come about feel mysteriously missing. The film drops you right in the middle of the conflict, with it having been raging for quite some time. I appreciated the focus being on the characters and not the event. But if you’re going to set your film in a fictitious American civil war, then you better use it. Otherwise, it could just be nondescript war #2. Garland does use the setting to effectively raise tension in some scenes (see Jesse Plemons’ standout performance) but I found myself continually asking for more.
That’s not to say that the film is misguided, as it isn’t. It tells a deeply character-driven story of war from a perspective not often seen on screen. Here, soldiers take a back seat to citizens and we see the trauma that war inflicts on those who survive it. It’s unique, smart, and incredibly engaging.
It helps that Civil War is held up by great performances from the main cast. Kirsten Dunst is as solid a lead as ever. She gives a complicated, war-torn, PTSD-riddled character a lot of depth. Cailee Spaeny, who’s hot off 2023’s Priscilla, is also really great and she’s certainly on track to superstardom. Wagner Moura provides an interesting perspective of someone who seemingly enjoys the thrill of war and chases it intelligently, not recklessly. And Stephen McKinley Henderson is a bona fide veteran who nails every scene.
The best performance of the film, however, comes from Jesse Plemons. He has only one scene but man is he magnificently terrifying. There’s a scary familiarity in his character, and the raw unpredictability just elevates the tension in the scene. He gives a truly standout performance in a very limited role.
The film also looks incredible on screen. There are sweeping landscapes that depict wartorn America are truly impressive. Garland and cinematographer Rob Hardy used new DJI camera technology that allowed them to fine-tune shaky and steady cam shots to perfection. The depictions of war are unforgiving and shot in a nature that elicited a gross feeling in my gut. It’s brilliant in an intimate way and shot almost from arm’s length from the conflict itself.
There’s certainly more to Civil War than what lies on the surface. It may not say everything it should, but what it does have to say is unquestionably captivating. If this is truly Garland’s last hurrah in directing, then it’s a great way to go out. I just hope that, eventually, we continue to see more from him.
Final Thoughts
There’s no denying that Civil War is a masterclass in building tension in a character-driven narrative. The film doesn’t let up, especially in its depictions of the brutalities of war, and I think it may have permanently spiked my blood pressure. The film flirts with greater ideas and some may say it’s a better film for not diving headfirst into them. I felt it needed more emphasis in the world-building to drive the narrative home. Regardless, there is a reason A24 made it their largest in-house production budget ever. I was hooked the whole time and my heart wouldn’t stop racing the entire ride home. Go see Civil War, as soon as you can. You won’t regret it.
