When men wish to subvert justice for the sake of revenge and sacrifice justice for the sake of avarice, envy has corroded their souls and rage has destroyed within them every trace of humanity and altruism.
In a near-future dystopian America torn apart by civil strife, Alex Garland’s “Civil War” (From the Camera, 28 Days Later, Annihilation) unfolds once morest a backdrop of chaos and division. In this bleak landscape, a photojournalist played by Kirsten Dunst emerges as a beacon of journalistic integrity amid the turmoil. Along with a small group of journalists, she embarks on a perilous journey into the divided nation, driven by a singular mission: to interview the beleaguered president within the closed confines of the White House.
The narrative axis of the film hinges on the daring attempt of Dunst and her fellow journalists, played by Wagner Mora and Kaylee Spenny, to penetrate the heart of the conflict and confront the nightmarish situation at its center. Their journey is fraught with danger at every turn as they navigate through warring landscapes and dodge the fire of rival factions vying for control because as Thucydides wrote of the Peloponnesian War “Civil strife brought great and countless calamities to the states, calamities which they happen and will always happen as long as the nature of man does not change”.
As the intrepid group traverses the treacherous terrain of a nation at war with itself, they face a myriad of challenges that test their resolve and resourcefulness. From skirmishing with armed militias to navigating lawless territories, each obstacle serves to underscore the seriousness of their mission and the issues at stake.
Against the backdrop of chaos and destruction, civil war director and screenwriter Alex Garland lays out a narrative mosaic that explores, somewhat superficially, issues of truth, resilience and the human cost of civil conflict. Through the character of our heroine, the film tries to delve, without always succeeding, into the ethical dilemmas that journalists face when searching for the truth in a vortex of propaganda and misinformation.
However, as they inch closer and closer to their elusive goal, journalists are faced not only with external threats but also with the moral ambiguity inherent in their profession. As they grapple with the consequences of their actions and the weight of their responsibility, the lines between observer and participant begin to blur, forcing them to confront the very essence of their humanity.
-Every time I escaped a war zone, I thought I was sending a message “don’t do that”, but here we go once more, our heroine desperately whispers.
Garland convincingly creates a world that feels both chillingly familiar and strikingly prophetic. Drawing on elements of science fiction and political thriller, it constructs a stark and disturbing portrait of a society on the brink of collapse, where the lines between right and wrong, truth and propaganda, blur into a dark fog of uncertainty.
Central to the film’s form is its ensemble cast, led by Kirsten Dunst’s performance as a woman struggling with the moral complexities of her profession amidst the chaos of conflict. Wagner Mora (“Narcos”) and Kaylee Spenny (“Priscilla”) deliver interesting performances, adding layers of unease and suspense to the diverse array of characters they encounter on their journey.
But beyond the riveting action scenes and tense suspense, “Civil War” doesn’t aim for a deeper level, exploring the fundamental questions of identity, faith and the nature of power. Garland is not interested in exploring the ways in which civil war can both reveal and reshape the human psyche. Visually, of course, the film is interesting and thematically rich and is a testament to Garland’s abilities as a director. From the desolate landscapes of a fragmented nation to the claustrophobic corridors of power, every frame is imbued with a sense of suffocating atmosphere, but that’s regarding it.
“Civil War” emerges as a powerful, timely and perhaps prophetic but shallow meditation on the corrosive effects of division and the enduring resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity. At its core, the film strives to be an exploration of the indomitable spirit of individuals struggling to make sense of a world torn apart by conflict. Through its cast of characters and its depiction of a society on the brink of collapse, the film serves as a reminder of human resilience in the face of adversity, although it often sinks into simplistic and sensationalism.
In order to take revenge on their enemies, people, in a civil war, ignore the rules on which societies are based, wrote Thucydides. Those involved are indifferent, forgetting that if they break all the rules, then they too will be deprived of their protection when the moment comes when they need it.
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