Lee Smith, a news photographer played by Kirsten Dunst, confesses, „Every time I survive a war zone, I feel like I'm sending a warning home: Don't do this.'' „But here we are.“
Exhausted, fed up, and with the utmost concern for the future prospects of humanity. That's how I felt after watching director Alex Garland's epic Civil War from the comfort of his BFI IMAX seat in Waterloo. But if you stare at the screen long enough, there is a silver lining.
Garland conducts an important thought experiment in his latest directorial effort. What if the conflict that has been raging on the fringes of the American empire for the past century finally engulfed its heart? Or, as an aside, if President Trump's dreams of dictatorship, brinkmanship, and warmongering were What would happen if it became reality?
massacre
This film is the simplest photographic story. On the surface, Civil War is a classic movie experience, even a cliché. We follow a motley crew of cynical journalists along a series of increasingly dangerous episodes until we reach a bombastic finale. This is once again the odyssey of our time, the hero's journey, so to speak.
In fact, we even present four eras of coverage. Jesse Cullen, a bear photojournalist played by Cailee Spaeny (pictured above), hitchhikes from New York to Washington, DC.Joel (Wagner Moura), an adrenaline junkie who self-medicates with vodka and cigarettes, Lee himself trapped in a career success defined by the worst human traumas, and finally Sammy, the wise and deadly father. new york times Brilliantly directed by author Stephen McKinley Henderson.
On this basic level, Civil War is impressively accomplished. We feel warm towards the characters as we watch their reactions and their relationships develop. The slow development of the action is like hearing a violin string tightened to breaking point.
This action will move you to the edge of your seat before jumping. The vintage soundtrack is a constant reminder that the American empire learned nothing from Vietnam, then Afghanistan, as we transform from the post-war generation to the pre-war generation.
But the film's value comes from the precision and urgency of its political imagination. We learned that there were Antifa massacres, that „separatists“ in California and Texas have now taken up arms against the U.S. military, and that the president (Nick Offerman) is in his third term in the Oval Office. ) is informed that there is an alliance between them. It has been suggested that Florida is now part of Mexico and therefore Central America.
correspondent
Remarkably, the torture, mass graves, ethnic cleansing, and total destruction of cities are no longer inflicted on others in the East by the U.S. military, but instead on American citizens in the mainland United States, with no credence. We are given a high urban landscape.
When our hapless media crew comes face-to-face with a war criminal wearing pink glasses, the possibilities become vivid and frighteningly real. We are Americans, that's their defense. „Okay. What kind of American are you?“
Experts often complain that when screenwriters try to tell their stories, they get the facts wrong and the general impression is way off. I may have only spent a few weeks in Gaza and the West Bank, or just a few days in pre-war Baghdad.
However, I have spent quite a bit of time with war correspondents and photographers. I traveled to Iraq with the late Tom Hearndall and James Miller, both of whom were later killed by Israeli forces while covering the occupation.
To some extent, I feel like I've evolved from each of Garland's characters as I've gotten older. Drawing from this experience, Civil War is a brilliantly authentic and realistic depiction of how such conflicts unfold and how journalists respond to them. That's exactly what a war correspondent is. This is what war is like.