IN Civil WarDirector and screenwriter Alex Garland sets the American Civil War in a modern context. Moreover, he leaves aside any analogies and plunges into brutal and brutal realism. Lee (Kirsten Dunst) is a journalist traveling through a divided country, engulfed in fratricidal conflict and at the center of a social explosion. Little by little, the photographer will discover that the conflict will not only destroy the country and its culture, but will also destroy it. but also with every element that maintains a certain social order.
But one of the questions that is not answered in the tape is how it came to this. Information is presented indirectly and in subtext, but it is never fully shown what led to this situation. However, one thing is clear. What ultimately led to the division of the United States in fiction is more than just a power struggle or a confrontation between traditional enemies. IN Civil War, There is no good and evil. And this is not friction between political opponents affecting the arms sector. What makes the conflict more realistic and simpler than simply extrapolating a current conflict onto a cinematic premise.
So what’s really going on in Civil War? We tell you the – meager – data that the script offers, and how it is structured to create a story with true subtext. From a breakdown in the constitutional order to two unlikely allies. Alex Garland managed to get into the creepy premise because it was very solid. No political system is immune from the rapid deterioration of the situation.
It all starts in Washington
IN Civil WarThe conflict begins—or at least so the script suggests—with an event of a political-legal nature. The President (Nick Offerman of The Last of Us and The Office) is in his third term. Several scenes feature speeches as well as specific insinuations regarding this direct violation of the 22nd Amendment of the US Constitution. This indicates that no one can be elected leader of a nation more than twice. And this means that sooner or later There was a break in the legal thread, either due to some false verdict or due to the use of force.
Things seem to get worse when it is pointed out that because of this situation, the official had to act in one way or another in order to maintain his place in the executive branch. This means attacking with a monopoly of arms on anyone who opposes him. dismantle offices and institutions and put pressure on them to continue passing laws in their favor.
One of the most interesting aspects of the film is that all of the above is shown in detail that is open to interpretation or not too straightforward. Which allows the film to leave several questions open. Does anyone oppose such a trial that has condemned American democracy to its downfall? Who are the enemies of such a corrupt political leader?
Two unlikely allies in “Civil War”
One of the most interesting aspects of the film is that its vision of the conflict does not lead to a fictitious real-life confrontation. Actually, Civil War does not speculate on current political movements. The enemies of the fascist government in Washington are not Democrats or Republicans. Neither extreme right nor left. These are two opposites who had to join forces. to avoid a government that only seeks to perpetuate itself in power.
On the one hand, there is Texas, which, as the film implies, has decided to throw its weapons and contingents of soldiers against the central government. At the other extreme is California, which joined with the intention of preventing an authoritarian leader from remaining in the White House. In fiction, both states are gone beyond their antagonistic positions, move forward and wrest control of the country from the incumbent president.
The uniqueness of Garland’s decision was that he maneuvered around all existing ideas about positions before the authorities of both states. Today, Texas is known as a Republican stronghold, in addition to its positions close to the far right. For its part, California is an enclave of the Democratic Party and has traditionally adhered to moderate leftist ideas.
The battle of ideas in the “Civil War”
This strange political map means that in fiction, North America is caught between three forces that threaten the collapse of the nation. On the one hand, a president with authoritarian tendencies and who has all the weapons of the country at his disposal. The other is with two states that have their own weapons and are ready to confront Washington.
Finally, chaos reigns over a large and vast area, which is exacerbated by groups of civilian militias, as well as mercenaries of all stripes. Essentially, Alex Garland’s film reinterprets the idea of two contentious fronts of violence, in the broadest and most complex scenario possible. What is he doing Civil War both a warning and a disturbing look at a bleak future.
Source: Hiper Textual
