AUSTIN, Texas — “Civil War,” a film by Alex Garland designed to provoke emotions during an election year, was shown for the first time on Thursday at the SXSW Film and TV Festival, revealing a violent portrayal of a future America in conflict.
“Civil War,” reportedly A24’s most expensive release yet, takes a risk by focusing on some of the tensions that have increased in highly partisan times and before a potentially significant November presidential election.
The movie, written and directed by British filmmaker Garland (“Ex Machina,” “Annihilation”), envisions a U.S. engaged in full-scale warfare, with California and Texas teaming up to create the “Western Forces.” This rebellion, along with the “Florida Alliance,” aims to overthrow a government led by a three-term president, portrayed by Nick Offerman.
By drawing battle lines between states that are politically Democratic or Republican, “Civil War” avoids much of the expected political content. The story mainly focuses on the daily experiences of a group of journalists portrayed by Kirsten Dunst, Cailee Spaeny, Wagner Moura, and Stephen McKinley Henderson, who are trying to document the conflict.
“The movie is meant to spark conversation. It is not making strong assertions — well, I guess it is making some,” Garland told the audience after the screening. “But it’s a conversation, which means it’s not a lecture.”
“Many times,” he added, “I was thinking about what I could avoid, what I could leave out and make it a kind of two-way exchange.”
This movie year has shown signs of becoming volatile as the country prepares for an election where some believe democracy is at risk. At the Academy Awards on Sunday, host Jimmy Kimmel largely refrained from discussing politics before reading a critical social media post from former President Donald Trump.
“Isn’t it past your jail time?” teased Kimmel.
More films are on the horizon with the potential to add to the discussion. “The Apprentice,” in which Sebastian Stan plays Trump, was filmed in the fall, although no release date has been announced yet. But nothing has generated as much anticipation as “Civil War.” Some even debated whether its timing was inappropriate.
However, the upcoming release of “Civil War,” which will be in U.S. theaters on April 12, isn’t as controversial as some people had hoped or feared. There are some unsettling moments, including one where a gun-carrying militant played by Jesse Plemons asks the journalists, “What kind of American are you?” But much of the film’s impactful scenes involve the U.S. as a battleground filled with refugee camps and mass graves.
Garland got the idea for the film almost exactly four years ago, he said.
“I wrote it back then and sent it to A24, and they just said, ‘Yup, we’ll make it,’ which was surprising,” said Garland, who shot the film in Georgia. “This is a bold film to fund, it really is.”
“I had never read a script like this,” said Dunst, who plays a seasoned combat photographer.
In the movie, Dunst’s character, Lee, travels to Washington, D.C., to capture what could be the final, bloody moments of the war. The group is joined by a young, aspiring photographer portrayed by Spaeny. Although “Civil War” concludes with the White House under attack, it is largely a film about journalism.
"This is a kind of love letter to journalism and how important it is," said Garland, who mentioned that his father was a newspaper cartoonist. "Newspaper people … I wanted to make them heroes."
Initial feedback from SXSW for "Civil War" varied between being a great work and a mess. Some were uncertain about how to immediately react, including Spaeny, who, moments after her first viewing, said, "I need a second."
Meanwhile, Garland refrained from making any big political statement.
"I just want to say: I always try to make somewhat humorous movies. I thought 'Ex Machina' was humorous," Garland said. "If people laughed, I'm happy, partly because some of it is so (expletive) stupid. It should be funny. It's crazy. It's messed up."