CIVIL WAR – Review by Susan Kamyab
Filmmaker Alex Garland’s fourth directorial feature hits harder than most war films. Civil War is a painfully realistic portrayal of a journey across dystopian future America driven by
haunting characters, graphic visuals and heart-pounding sound effects.
The film focuses on a team of four journalists following the Second American Civil War. Caught between the American government and “Western Forces”, they set out on a suicide mission through a surge of war crimes to reach the president before rebel coalitions strike the White House. Though there are a lot of holes to fill with what exactly led to this crisis, the core cast answers most of those questions through their discussions, photographs, and desensitized emotions.
I can say that I’ll never need to see this film again because the images I saw will stay with me forever. Garland succeeds in what he intended to make. A film that polarizes audiences as they are faced with the brutality of war and the importance of impartial journalism. The shock of how cruel people are in this completely lost society is meant to be a warning. And as the film’s star, Kirsten Dunst, quoted in an interview about the movie, “at the heart of all this, it’s really about humanity and what happens when people stop treating each other like human beings.” That in and of itself is why Civil War is a must-see movie. It will be difficult to get through it, but it’s worth it.
Civil War is lacking as a narrative but makes up for that in its production. It’s a riveting, immersive experience that keeps you on edge through alarming sounds of gunshots and massacre.
Even the film’s quiet moments never release tension because you know these characters you now care for are in danger anywhere they go. Civil War is far more terrifying than any horror film you’ll see this year. Disturbingly effective and brilliantly shot. Kirsten Dunst gives a gripping and powerful performance in Alex Garland’s best movie yet.
